If you’re looking for a snapshot of our political moment — a perfect distillation of the absurd, the performative, and the wildly misdirected — you could do worse than this past weekend’s “No Kings Day” protests, a global temper tantrum aimed not at tyrants or despots, but at a president who got elected by the people, held office for four years, and then had the audacity to run again.
And true to form, President Donald Trump’s response was both blunt and clarifying: “I’m not a king. I work my ass off to make our country great.”
Whether you like Trump or not, that’s not exactly the language of a monarch.
While the streets of New York, D.C., and London filled with hand-lettered cardboard drama, Trump was exiting Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, continuing the job of campaigning, negotiating, and — in the middle of a government shutdown — making it clear who’s still actually doing the hard work. And as usual, he didn’t sugarcoat it. He called the protests “a joke,” said they were “not representative of the people of our country,” and pointed to the likely funding behind it: “Soros and other radical left lunatics.”
Now, that may sound harsh to some, but let’s take a closer look.
These were not spontaneous, organic uprisings. These were produced events — the kind with coordinated signage, celebrity hashtags, pre-approved slogans, and sympathetic media coverage. What exactly were they protesting? A free man running for office in a democratic system? An administration they didn’t like four years ago? A shutdown they helped orchestrate by refusing to negotiate on border funding?
NEW: Grown adult protesters dressed up as ‘LICE’ agents roll around on the U.S. Constitution at Seattle’s ‘No Kings’ protest.
“ICE lice have invaded the Constitution at Seattle Center’s No Kings protest,” the Stranger Seattle posted.
Clown show. pic.twitter.com/nIRRc292MA
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 19, 2025
The irony is almost too thick to cut. These “No Kings” protestors marched through cities run by mayors who routinely act like royalty themselves — issuing sweeping decrees, targeting political speech they disagree with, and crushing dissent through the bureaucratic state. Meanwhile, the man they’re calling a “king” spent four years deregulating, cutting taxes, bringing power out of Washington and back to the people — the very opposite of imperial behavior.
And let’s not forget — this same “king” was impeached twice, investigated six ways to Sunday, and watched the full weight of the federal apparatus mobilize against him. Kings don’t usually deal with hostile bureaucracies and press corps. They silence them.
But of course, “No Kings” isn’t about monarchy. It’s branding. It’s rebellion cosplay. It’s the same empty performance we’ve seen again and again: organize a protest, get a few celebrities to post a hashtag, have the media write glowing coverage, then pretend something important just happened. All while real Americans continue to face real problems — from inflation and crime to border chaos and global instability.
That’s the part the protestors missed. While they were chanting in the streets, Trump was doing what leaders do — showing up, speaking plainly, and pointing out that this country doesn’t need a king. It needs a fighter.
