To understand the rules that Democrats play by, it is important to realize that they are not meant to bind liberals—only their enemies. Rather than standards, they specialize in double standards. This is especially true of rules surrounding race.
If a gathering of conservatives looks “too white” and/or “too old” in pictures, the Democratic rule is that, ipso facto, it is a group of “white supremacists” seeking to reinstate Jim Crow and slavery.
If a gathering of liberals looks the same way, however, these can only be venerable defenders of Our Democracy™ gathered in the name of all that is good, people of pallor and silver-hair imparting their wisdom.
Or at least, that’s the story you’ll be hearing about the “No Kings” rallies if you still turn to mainstream media outlets for grins and giggles. Because this writer lived in Minnesota for over two decades, he was naturally drawn to a live feed at the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Saturday. Amusingly, several headlines and posts breathlessly detailed how “thousands” of Minnesotans had rallied across the state. At some point in the afternoon, the paper breathlessly declared that the crowd “swell[ed] to several thousand.”
Thousands?
Neither precise nor impressive for a blue state. Nor were the pictures attached to the articles much help in discerning how many thousands might have been gathering. What they did show is that this gathering is no United Colors of Benetton commercial. It’s the same old gathering of elite white liberals and leftists as always.
Footage taken by those wandering into Times Square in New York, where posters for the rally show sponsors such as the Democratic Socialists of America, Communist Party USA, and Freedom Socialists of America, demonstrate the same. (Chuck Ross notes that Wespac Foundation, one of the partners of the No Kings organization, “handles donations for the Palestinian Youth Movement, which coordinates and works closely with the terrorist group Samidoun.”)
It’s hard to find any reports that differ on the turnout. Though the organizers claim that there were 2,600 protests scheduled for the Saturday event with “millions” attending, it’s a safe bet that the actual turnout was far lower and far less diverse than one might expect from the supposed “big tent” party. X user Rachel Renee Reeves posted: “I am here to report that my very blue historic town in Northern Virginia just concluded its ‘NO KINGS’ rally and as I drove through Main Street, there wasn’t one protester younger than 50.”
Atlanta, a city famous for its black culture, did get a notable turnout, but panning through the crowd, one might guess that the only non-white liberal in attendance was the famous election denier Stacey Abrams speaking on stage.
To be fair, there is evidence of more diversity than that nationwide. Journalist Andy Ngo posted a picture on X of “Muslim Trantifa gunman Eric Austin, aka ‘Sumayyah Dawud’” at the Phoenix rally. Austin is a person of interest in a murder case from last year.
So inclusive! And exciting!
The reality is that, in a country of close to 350 million people, drawing millions isn’t that hard to do. If the No Kings movement was all that popular, we would be hearing about tens of millions. And our pictures of the crowds wouldn’t look like an audience at a Peter, Paul, and Mary tribute act.
But, apart from a few mathematically challenged social media users, we will not be reading about “tens of millions” of people. Nor will we see any crowds that Democrats would otherwise describe as “looking like America.” The reason is that the theme is ridiculous. Donald Trump is neither king nor tyrant. But he is the President and has been effective at short-circuiting the power of our unelected bureaucrats and holding those members of our ruling class to account. And that is what these liberals and leftists don’t like.
They actually have no objection to kings in America. When they prattle about Our Democracy, what they mean is Our Aristocracy—the vast unelected bureaucrats who fill the many, many agencies that are part of the Executive Branch but usually act as if they were an independent law-making power.
That’s why, if the crowds were serious about having no kings, they would really be supporting the Trump administration in its efforts to claw back power from these bureaucrats.
If they were serious, they would be very excited about the REINS Act, which stands for Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, sponsored by Utah’s Senator Mike Lee. In a series of posts on X made during the No Kings events, the Republican noted that “federal agencies churn out roughly 100,000 pages of binding regulations—effectively laws—every year,” including 3,000 regulations in 2024 alone. Yet these people are unelected. As Lee notes, “like kings.”
While under the current Congressional Review Act, Congress can nullify some regulations after implementation, Lee’s bill would require that “any major regulation (with an economic impact of $100M+) must get a vote in Congress before it takes effect.”
Versions of the REINS Act have been proposed in every single Congress since 2009. Some have passed the House; none have passed the Senate. The good news is that seven states have passed state-level versions of the REINS Act, while twelve more have either passed an equivalent or have versions of the act introduced in their state legislatures. Most are, as you might guess, red states.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the aging hippies descending on town squares this week had simply taken the win (we have no king in the White House!) and directed their attention to the unelected aristocrats making law for Americans without accountability?
They still can. And they should.
David P. Deavel teaches at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. A past Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute, he is a Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative. Follow him on X (Twitter) @davidpdeavel.
We voted out King Biden and his puppet masters and replaced him with a REAL President. Now President Trump can fix all the things the monarchy broke the previous 4 years !
If we actually had a king, the Government would be open!!
I understand that President Trump extended his thanks to the democrats today. Trump was concerned about a king trying to take his place in the Oval Office. And due to the no kings rallies yesterday that didn’t happen. Good job!
The Left chants, “No Kings!”, but they are the ONLY group who has a “king”. His name is King George (Soros)!
President Trump is a great President who cares about his country and the American people!! The Democratic Party never cared about the American people, that is why they were letting them be killed!!! The protesters are paid mercenaries and should be treated as such along with the Democratic Party and the Socialist trash in Hollywood!!!
Before we get too carried away with what No Kings is or isn’t, we’ve got a little mini test coming up in two weeks.
Let’s see whose supporters go to the polls next month and then let the pontification continue in earnest.
i AM OLD AND WHITE HEADED AND AM A TRUMP SUPPORTER PLEASE DO NOT ADD US TO THAT GROUP ALSO HOW MANY WERE PAID TO MARCHNOT DOING IT OUT OF BELIEF
These same “protestors” were in “Move On. “Occupy Wall Street,” BLM, George Floyd. They are professional protestors “employed” by Soros and others of his ilk. They get a few thousand brainwashed college students with stupid majors [assuming they even graduate]. Seeing they are “sponsored” by Communist Party USA and the AFT and NEA, it’s hard to believe ANYTHING they say!
Let’s see, we protest against an alleged “King” with support from the communist party which has dictators as leaders. Makes sense??
Trump is Not trying to be a king. You enjoy chaos and lies, anything to destroy Trump and his credibility.
Excellent commentary!
I couldn’t agree more!
Thanks for getting “out there.” Perhaps some liberals will read it and have a ‘Come to Jesus’ revelation.
If we had a King there would be no Protests or Demonstrations against him! I really do not or have I ever seen people in the Streets all over their Country’s Protesting Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Vladimir Putin or The Chinese Government because if they did they would be arrested like Tiananmen Square and the Ring Leaders killed and their eldest Family Member had to pay .14c for the Bullet that The Communists/Dictator’s used to kill them. I think our problem is that most of us have not lived in Countries that have Kings and we are making up issues that are not in existence due to our lack of knowledge.
This people are ultimate idiots and jerks. I hope we keep voting demonrats out of office too!! President Trump respects the office and when his time is up, he’ll either go back to running his businesses or enter into a well deserved retirement. That’s it and God Bless him! These morons have their “panties” on too tight!!
What a very conclusive way to show your utter ignorance, to try and impress we the people that our President Trump is a “king” in his governing. If these people ever protested a real king, they would be in jail if not killed on the spot, just a thought.
On Nextdoor, someone asked who would join the No Kings the next day. Almost everyone answered no, including me.
Just wait till the aging hippies get a real clue. Most of them have hated our government since the Vietnam war, which they used as an excuse to go protest, and trip on their illegal drugs. They shamed the returning soldiers and treated them badly. Now they want to shame Trump and treat him badly for something he never claimed, or wanted, to be. More silly protest to give the bored people something to do on a Saturday. Maybe they don’t want criminals off the street, or responsible use of our tax dollars.
I watched on and off on Saturday, I saw a bunch of old white people milling around as if wondering where they were. Reminded me of our last “president.” It was a pathetic failure of political theater that the rest of us just shake our heads at those who hate this wonderful country. They have no idea what they are doing, or how they will run this government if stupid reigns ever again and a socialist Democrat ever has the control. THAT would literally give “No Kings” the power to destroy America! WOW, just WOW! How dumb can they get. Until Soros runs out of money he earned destroying economies of countries world wide? Yeah, THAT’S who we want driving this country! We seriously need to bring back mental institutions!!!
Living in a dem state I was expecting anything for the Hate America Protest on Saturday. What I was not prepared for that the seniors living in senior independent facilities would post posters in my town announcing they were going to demonstrate for democracy. Didn’t they learn in school America is a Constitutional Republic? I was flabbergasted till this phenomenon repeated itself all over this country. The progressives couldn’t get any Gen Z or Gen X or Millennials to come out for them. It was the blue hairs pushing their walkers and wheelchairs to scream Trump is a king. But when you asked them is Trump a king oh no but he will when he crowns himself to be king in 2028. I have never laughed so hard. Oh yes they said he has all his caps and t-shirts ready. They are so gullible. This is Trump being funny. Of course the paid protesters were there spouting the same rhetoric. But ask them to define what is a fascist they can’t define it. When you asked them when a person says Trump is a liar. Name one thing he has lied about. They can’t name one thing. But they know a liar when they see one. They must not have seen Biden in the last 5 years. In Chicago a truck carrying a sign honoring Charlie Kirk rode past the protesters. A school teacher pointed her finger at her neck and screamed Bang Bang. Imitating the killing of Charlie. This person is teaching your children, making 103,000 dollars. 37% more than her co teachers and 45% more than the average teacher in America. What makes her so special. Is she being paid as to how many kids she brings into the trans community. You know for the elite hospitals to practice their mutilating surgery on.? You think this is ridiculous thinking? Just look at Jones in VA and his dreaming about killing his political opponent and his family. And all of this in the name of Antifa. Antifa was demonstrating in Amsterdam over the weekend. Police arrested a bunch. And the press called them
Hooligans. This Hate America protest on Saturday was a sad demonstration with the IQ level of Biden on his best day on the beach. This was the last Hoorah for the dems by tge hippies of tge 1960-1970. So sad to see.
“No Kings”, …huh? where were the left wing nut protests, when “Kink” Biden and his merry band of “its” were issuing new arbitrary decrees every day, and the lame stream media was regaling us with stories about his ability, and cognitive prowess each time ignoring the naked emperor in the room as well as the “Madness of King George III”? Or when their honorary “king” Fauci declared boldly, and without any kind of base “I am the Science”. Or when in response to reports of inflation and ordinary American families having trouble to make ends meet Nancy Pelosi stepped in proudly to give the public a tour of her well overstocked, doublewide commercial size icecream freezer and in so many words told the public “let them eat icecream”? Tone deaf and conceited doesn’t begin to cover the arrogant attitude of these political entitlement class champagne Marxists. The hipocrisy of the left exceeds the thickness of our earth’s crust. The Schumer shutdown clearly illustrates that for the left it is never about their stupid slogan “the good of the masses”, for them it is always just about “the goods of the masses” that’s why they constantly attempt to buy votes with cheap promised tchochkes, and they are more focused on getting rich themselves like AOC.
Remember, the USA is a Republic, not a Democracy!!!
I found it interesting that those that went to the No Kings events in some cities also left their “mark” by way of often hateful, racist graffiti on public sites!
The Left seems to conveniently forget how the Jackson Administration forced Native Americans from their lands and relocated them during the harshest weather conditions over a period of time that last 20 years. In affect, they stole whatever was left behind by those Native Americans and redistributed lands to their Democrat constituents.
Doesn’t this sound like something that can be expected from an autocratic monarchy?
The Left seems to conveniently forget how the Roosevelt Administration forced Japanese-Americans from their lands at gunpoint and relocated them into camps, once again stealing their lands, simply because they were guilty of looking like those who attacked multiple U.S. military installations in Hawaii.
Doesn’t this sound like something that can be expected from an autocratic monarchy?
The Left seems to conveniently forget how the 0bama Administration signed the Affordable Care Act into law after the Democrats had excluded the Republicans from the process of creating the bill in the first place.
Doesn’t this sound like something that can be expected from an autocratic monarchy?
Even more recently, Chuck Schumer, a sitting U.S. senator from the state that I grew up in (and, a Democrat), has put out a call for minions to aggressively reject President Trump’s authority.
I know that this is a redundant question but….
Doesn’t all of these examples have the overtones of being ruled by tyrants within the Democrat Party for the last two hundred years?
And, they have the arrogance/ audacity to accuse anyone other than themselves that they have a dislike for of being exactly what they are!
Chuck Schumer, along with the history of the Democrat Party is the proof positive for why the Democrat Party needs to be banned out of existence and outlawed.
Two hundred years of this tyranny and counting. So, when is enough enough?
We haven’t seen a strong, for America President in years! That’s why these protestors are confused! Thanks George S. for keeping them that way!
Excuse my language, but from an old guys perspective, this is an OLD FARTS movement. It appears that maturity is not connected to age.
Why, don’t we conservatives do a “We Support ICE, Law Enforcement, and Our President. We need our voices heard! As a concretive retired Social Worker we are few, but beginning to speak out against WOKE in Mental Health,
Just a thought. I tell my liberal friends, yes I do have some. I live in Illinois, where we are a sanctuary state and the city of Chicago is a sanctuary city, If Our law enforcement were able to do their jobs and report illegal aliens who commit a crime or crimes and turned them over to ICE, we wouldn’t be where we are now. We voted for President Trump and he is fulfilling his promises. Also I am a Naturalized Citizen, so there is a right way to come to this country.
What a joke! Those people are so out of touch and uninformed. Good for a laugh, though!
We already have a “No Kings Day”, it’s the July 4th.
If President Trump was a king or a dictator, these ridiculous radical liberals would now be in jail…or worse. It is laughable to see them parading around with their posters. Obviously, many of them have no idea about the types of government. And yes, these people are actually allowed to vote.
The mainstream media will exagerate the numbers to to suit the agenda. However I think there is a much deeper problem. Some of the protesters may even claim to be christian – that blows their theory of no kings as they could be denouncing the real King. Just saying.
I live in a small county in Colorado that has two towns. Of course we have our own gang of liberal/progressives who join in with the other groups to denigrate all that is good and decent. The AMAC article resonated with me big time. I observed the demonstrators waking up and back down Main Street. There must have been no more that a hundred fifty in a county of five thousand. There were no young people to speak of and mostly the group was made up of over fifty year old former hippies many of them walking their well fed dogs. Virtually no one between 18 and 35 years old. So much for all their hype.
What we see is adults acting like children inspired by msm and politicians who seem more supportive of division, bias and hate that the good of our country and citizens. JMO
We have no “Kings”, but there were plenty of Jokers out and about on Saturday.
It simply shows how ignorant the masses have become! Unable to think on their own and wanting another handout from the money that corrupts everything they ultimately touch! No Kings is a sad indication of just how far ignorance and stupidity have come to the masses! Wake up America and observe the results of not wanting to be involved!
The town I live in here in Nevada had a No Kings protest. When I went by, 90% of the license plates were from out of state. Two people who lived in our town were protesting, and both told me they needed the money they got paid for protesting to buy food. Last time the socialists had the no kings protest only one person showed up, so this time they had to bring in people from California to do the protesting for them, not the people here in Nevada.
Old leftwing white liberals, (1960’s hippies, their brains fried from heavy drug use) are still anti-America, anti-military, anti-police, and anti-Capitalism. But they are pro-criminal, pro-open borders, and pro-communisim, pro-illegals, and pro-drugs. And ALL are ungrateful, unhappy, angry, miserable parasites in society.
Q, Why is skin melanin utilized as some RACE Trait? The Nazis used color – eyes, hair, GREEN 4monie$! Skin color has nothing 2do w RACE, n shouldn’t! Tongue Tribe Territory. Btw Africa is a Continent so African American is silliness. Ask an Afrikan! Skin tone is a shameful shallow subversive n SINister 1960 demoncRATic plantation-ist platform CON for a voting block… n it worked, still works and has decimated an American people that identifies based on dark skin tone. So sad. 78% no fathers parenting. Millions aborted! 54% of Violent Crimes from 4-5% of their young males who are provoked to anger by absentee dads, imho!!! Pray 4 GOD to open eyes hearts n bibles 4TRU✝️H.
If it weren’t for double standards, the Left would have no standards at all. They are the epitome of “do as I say, not as I do.”
The 60s are over. So are the 70s when I came of age. Actually, I didn’t notice anything this weekend, but I stayed home all weekend. I don’t watch MSM, so all I saw is what RAV was reporting. Why don’t they get it, that we don’t care that they are trans, gay, or any other sort of LGBQWTF, they can’t understand that it just doesn’t matter. Go be LGBTQWTF all you want, just don’t expect me to cater to or otherwise support or care about your problems. Nobody wants to kill them, but they all want to kill people who disagree with them. I don’t agree with the No Kings idiots, but I don’t want to hurt or kill them, or anybody else that is not trying to hurt me. Why are these people so afraid of normal people? Why do they insist we agree with them to get along. I just don’t care enough about what these leftists do or how they live their lives to protest it. They insist we all change our beliefs and values to be like them, or they want to kill us. Now, I do have a problem with that. Protest all you want, that’s their right. But if they continue to commit violent acts against different thinking people, they will learn just how heavily armed citizens of the right are, and how much violence they will be willing to inflict on them if these violent attacks continue. I now carry all the time, even at home. Try burning the flag on my house leftists, arson is justifiable to use deadly force to prevent. We will use our arms legally, justifiably, in self defense of their violent attacks. We won’t shoot as snipers, but I will fire into a mob or crowd if they are threatening me. Funny how fast a violent mob disperses when you fire randomly into it.
I have noticed, a lot of people mention George Sorros. Why is this foul being still in America remove him and his so-called family he does not belong here. Why are people from other countries that have no Christian values allowed in. I’ll tell you because the so called democrats have been planning this for decades. We the people allowed it by voting in the mentality insane in office over and over they are liars traitors to our country we the people need to get rid of them.
Worse is the No Kings wont honor Louis the 14th
To quote author David McCullough, who said one day after he had lectured to a group of young college students: “They are historical illiterates.”
Street protesting restores lost ‘yuth’ to spetanagerian and octanagarian ole beatniks ‘n hippies. Another poster notes that Trump drove a garbage truck and worked at MacDonalds as a grill man and cashier at the take out window. Not a bad resume for a “King.”
I thought this was the No Brain Protest, or No Comon Sense Protest.
Look at ALL of those folks. Ol’ George Soros must pay pretty good!
Not very many showed up! I guess Soros didn’t pay enough!
The No Kings show is so idiotic. It’s very existence proves it’s not needed. It’s sad how many White people have been brainwashed to hate themselves and their race.
A king is so much better then a dictator!
WILL THIS ONE DO AS MUCH AS THE LAST ONE TO MAKE ANYTHING BETTER?
We all know who is funding these people the Democrats good friend George Soros and his dumb son and more then likely others that hate President Trump. When President took office all of a sudden Antifia started up again the whole time Biden was in office there was no Antifia so they show there ugly head only when President Trump takes office there is someone funding all these people to make President Trump look bad it is all Hate.
A close second to our American Bureaucracy (Aristocracy) are the career politicians of Congress. I hold them responsible for the bloated mess of bureaucratic red tape that has ruined the immigration process and healthcare, to name just two.