Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
GOP tries to brand anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests as un-American
Ahead of the more than 2,600 rallies planned for Saturday across the U.S., Republican officials cast the protests of the president’s policies as “hate America” rallies.
Link to tweet
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/17/no-kings-republicans-hate-america/
Ahead of thousands of anti-authoritarian “No Kings” protests planned for Saturday across the United States, Republicans are trying to brand the demonstrations as “hate America” rallies, ramping up their rhetoric about the millions of people expected to peacefully protest President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies as they did in June.
For more than a week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and other GOP leaders have cast the “No Kings” rallies as un-American, using increasingly hyperbolic language. Johnson and other members of House GOP leadership, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise (Louisiana), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minnesota), and Republican Conference Chair Lisa C. McClain (Michigan), have all described the protests as events for people who “hate” the country, with Johnson and Emmer going as far as to suggest the protests are meant to appease a “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party.
“We call it the ‘hate America’ rally that will happen Saturday. Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said Wednesday at a news conference with other House GOP leaders. “I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
Democrats and organizers of the more than 2,600 events scheduled for Saturday have said they’re outraged by this characterization, defending the protests as peaceful and pointing out there were relatively few disruptions at the rallies in June. They also warned of attempts to stifle First Amendment rights......
“If you offer any criticism of this government, then you ‘hate America’? That’s ridiculous, un-American and unpatriotic,” Murphy said. “The fact is our country was founded on the idea that everyone has … a constitutionally-protected right to speak up and protest your government, especially when you think they have become lawless and corrupt.”
......To help maintain peaceful protest, Levin said Indivisible has trained “tens of thousands” of people on “safety and de-escalation.” Rather than the violence predicted by Republicans, Levin said observers on Saturday should expect to see “strategic frivolity”: protesters dancing while holding witty signs and wearing the kind of lighthearted, ridiculing costumes that have become symbolic of anti-ICE protests in Portland, Oregon.
A statement on the “No Kings” website emphasizes that all events are “a commitment to nonviolent action” and that weapons of any kind should not be brought to the rallies.
“We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events,” the website states.
For more than a week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and other GOP leaders have cast the “No Kings” rallies as un-American, using increasingly hyperbolic language. Johnson and other members of House GOP leadership, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise (Louisiana), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minnesota), and Republican Conference Chair Lisa C. McClain (Michigan), have all described the protests as events for people who “hate” the country, with Johnson and Emmer going as far as to suggest the protests are meant to appease a “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party.
“We call it the ‘hate America’ rally that will happen Saturday. Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said Wednesday at a news conference with other House GOP leaders. “I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet you’ll see antifa types, I bet you’ll see the Marxists on full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
Democrats and organizers of the more than 2,600 events scheduled for Saturday have said they’re outraged by this characterization, defending the protests as peaceful and pointing out there were relatively few disruptions at the rallies in June. They also warned of attempts to stifle First Amendment rights......
“If you offer any criticism of this government, then you ‘hate America’? That’s ridiculous, un-American and unpatriotic,” Murphy said. “The fact is our country was founded on the idea that everyone has … a constitutionally-protected right to speak up and protest your government, especially when you think they have become lawless and corrupt.”
Link to tweet
......To help maintain peaceful protest, Levin said Indivisible has trained “tens of thousands” of people on “safety and de-escalation.” Rather than the violence predicted by Republicans, Levin said observers on Saturday should expect to see “strategic frivolity”: protesters dancing while holding witty signs and wearing the kind of lighthearted, ridiculing costumes that have become symbolic of anti-ICE protests in Portland, Oregon.
A statement on the “No Kings” website emphasizes that all events are “a commitment to nonviolent action” and that weapons of any kind should not be brought to the rallies.
“We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events,” the website states.
11 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
all you're doing is promoting the events and more people will show up.
Him and the MAGAt's are the best promoters by their lies and insults.
Centuries after “L’État, c’est moi,” Republicans are putting their own twist on the adage: “I am the state” has effectively become “Trump is the state.”
The more Republicans argue that to oppose Trump at No Kings protests is to “hate America,†the more they prove the protesters’ point.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-10-17T16:01:01.982Z
For too much of the GOP, “L’État, c’est moi†has effectively evolved into “Trump is the state.†www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-slander-no-kings-rallies-party-proving-progressive-activis-rcna238179
Ahead of Saturday’s No Kings rallies, Republican officials haven’t exactly been subtle in what they want to convey. The Washington Post reported:
After House Speaker Mike Johnson used the line a week ago, claiming the No Kings protest scheduled in Washington, D.C., deserved to be seen as a “hate America rally,” I started taking notes on how many GOP officials embraced that phrasing.....
“L’État, c’est moi” is a phrase attributed to 17th century French King Louis XIV. Now, 370 years later, Republicans are putting their own twist on the adage: “I am the state” has effectively become “Trump is the state.”
The party has been headed down this path for much of the year. Indeed, the president, not long after his second inaugural described himself as a “king,” which came just days after he similarly declared, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” a phrase often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte.
It was around this time when an official White House social media account released a portrait showing a grinning Trump wearing a crown.
Eight months later, his party has decided that anti-Trump protests deserve to be labeled “hate America” events.
If the goal was to discourage participation in the rallies, I have a hunch the GOP slurs will have the opposite effect.
Ahead of thousands of anti-authoritarian ‘No Kings’ protests planned for Saturday across the United States, Republicans are trying to brand the demonstrations as ‘hate America’ rallies, ramping up their rhetoric about the millions of people expected to peacefully protest President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies as they did in June.
After House Speaker Mike Johnson used the line a week ago, claiming the No Kings protest scheduled in Washington, D.C., deserved to be seen as a “hate America rally,” I started taking notes on how many GOP officials embraced that phrasing.....
“L’État, c’est moi” is a phrase attributed to 17th century French King Louis XIV. Now, 370 years later, Republicans are putting their own twist on the adage: “I am the state” has effectively become “Trump is the state.”
The party has been headed down this path for much of the year. Indeed, the president, not long after his second inaugural described himself as a “king,” which came just days after he similarly declared, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” a phrase often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte.
Link to tweet
It was around this time when an official White House social media account released a portrait showing a grinning Trump wearing a crown.
Eight months later, his party has decided that anti-Trump protests deserve to be labeled “hate America” events.
If the goal was to discourage participation in the rallies, I have a hunch the GOP slurs will have the opposite effect.
Here is a better pdf of trump wearing his crown
trump really does believe that he is king and it taking these rallies very personally
I got into a minor argument yesterday with someone who claimed every news story and opinion piece in the paper must be cleared by Bezos. I guess this one slipped through 
