GOP tries to brand anti-Trump 'No Kings' protests as un-American

[LetMyPeopleVote]

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.

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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.”

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......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.