Massive "No Kings" protests short-circuit MAGA's mockery

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Massive “No Kings” protests short-circuit MAGA’s mockery
MAGA reacts to “No Kings” by immediately proving protesters right

By Sophia Tesfaye
Senior Writer
Published October 20, 2025 9:05AM (EDT)


(Salon) With over 2,700 individual demonstrations confirmed and an estimated 7.1 million participants, Saturday’s “No Kings” protests look to be the largest day of protest in United States history. While the White House’s initial response to the massive display of discontent was mockery, President Donald Trump’s increasingly threatening stance suggests Republicans plan to seize the moment to clamp down on civil liberties.

“I think it’s a joke,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday. “I looked at the people. They are not representative of this country.”

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Ahead of the No Kings demonstrations, which last swept the country in June, the U.S. assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division warned that the protests were “attempts to gaslight the public and destabilize our government.” In a Sunday appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., a staunch Trump ally and self-described constitutional conservative, defended his earlier labeling of the protests as a “hate-America rally,” adding: “It’s not about the people. It’s about the message. It’s about the ideology.” He warned: “They want to dismantle capitalism. They want to erase our founding principles.”

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Trump shared an AI-generated video of himself flying a jet with the words “King Trump” written on its side. While wearing a golden crown, he dumps excrement over the crowds of protestors marching below, all to the sound of Kenny Loggins’ iconic “Danger Zone” from the “Top Gun” soundtrack. The video, created by a meme account whose profile image features a Pepe the Frog-Trump hybrid, specifically targeted Democratic Party content creator Harry Sisson.

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“I’ll ask him for you Harry,” Vance replied. The vice president also reposted a now-viral image of Democratic leaders kneeling before a crowned Trump with the caption: “You hate him because he can’t be controlled.”

In that sense, the right’s response to No Kings wasn’t just politically telling. It was conceptually damning. If a protest warns that someone is behaving like a king, and the accused responds by laughing, wearing a crown and declaring “You’re just mad I’m winning” — you have your answer. .................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/10/20/massive-no-kings-protests-short-circuit-magas-mockery/