Speaker Mike Johnson wasted no time dismantling the theatrics behind Saturday’s so-called “No Kings” protests, calling out the glaring contradictions in the left’s latest political stunt. Organized by activist groups and bolstered by prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the demonstrations were pitched as a defense of democracy against President Trump’s supposed authoritarian impulses. Johnson wasn’t buying it, and he made sure everyone knew why.
Johnson took apart the entire premise during an appearance on ABC’s This Week with Jonathan Karl.
“You called these hate America rallies,” Karl began. “What do you mean by that?”
He didn’t just call the protests ridiculous. He pointed out the obvious: if Trump really were the autocrat Democrats claim he is, none of those protests would have been possible in the first place. “If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now,” Johnson said. “If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise out on the Mall.”
That remark reveals the fundamental contradiction at the heart of their hysteria. If these protesters genuinely believed Trump was acting like a king or becoming a dictator, they would already be silenced. Real authoritarian regimes don’t tolerate the kind of vocal opposition. The fact that these activists can freely denounce the president—on television, in newspapers, and on the streets nationwide—is itself the most damning evidence against their own claims.
ICYMI: Pink-Haired Protestor Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About the ‘No Kings’ Protests
Johnson went further, contrasting Trump’s approach with that of President Barack Obama. During the 2013 shutdown, Obama closed the National Mall and barricaded national parks and monuments, preventing Americans from exercising their First Amendment rights on federal property. Trump, meanwhile, kept the Mall open.
Johnson, a First Amendment lawyer for 20 years, made it clear he defends the right to protest, but he wasn’t going to let the left get away with pretending Trump is some kind of tyrant when the evidence says otherwise.
🚨 BREAKING: Speaker Johnson just dropped a TRUTH NUKE on No Kings
“If President Trump was a king, the government would be OPEN right now. If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise.” 💯
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 19, 2025
According to Johnson, Schumer masterminded both the shutdown and the “No Kings” protests as a smokescreen for his own failures. “They needed a stunt, they needed a show,” Johnson said. “Chuck Schumer needs cover right now. He’s closed the government down because he needs political cover, and this was a part of it.” In short, the “Schumer Shutdown” needed a storyline—and the protests provided one on cue. Schumer’s political stock took a beating back in March when he voted to fund the government, enraging the party’s far-left base. His approval ratings tanked, and the backlash appears to have opened the door for a possible primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—who notably refuses to rule it out.
The entire protest was a masterclass in projection. Democrats scream about authoritarianism while weaponizing government shutdowns for political gain. They march for democracy while ignoring election results. They claim to defend free speech while their own party’s recent history includes shutting down public spaces to make shutdowns as painful as possible. Johnson laid all of this bare, and the left had no real answer.
At the end of the day, the “No Kings” protests were little more than political theater, a desperate attempt to shift blame and manufacture outrage. Johnson saw right through it, and he made sure the rest of the country did too.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is still ongoing, and polls are now showing Americans are increasingly blaming the Democrats for this mess, but we can’t let them spin their way out of it.
Help us expose the truth—sign up with promo code POTUS47 for 74% off your VIP membership.
