The “No Kings” movement, which drew massive crowds across the U.S. this weekend, began as a symbolic protest against what organizers call the “authoritarian tendencies” of Donald Trump’s administration. And despite the millions in attendance nationwide, it was quite peaceful, as the “No Kings” organizers promised.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Trump’s regal self-image during his Friday monologue and posted a social media post with 71 “nicknames” protesters could use on their signs. He pointed out that Republicans have dubbed Saturday’s event as “Hate America” rally because, as he put it, “So, just to be clear, peacefully protesting a want-to-be dictator means you hate America.”
Trump’s anticipated response came Sunday morning via Truth Social, where he posted an AI-generated video portraying himself as “King Trump,” flying a fighter jet marked with that name and wearing a gold crown. The clip shows the jet releasing brown sludge over protesters while Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” plays in the background.
Harry Sisson, a leftist influencer depicted in Trump’s AI video getting doused in the sludge, succinctly captures the dissonance between the protesters’ message and the administration’s portrayal of them. “This is absurd,” he said. “That plane wouldn’t have made it off the ground with your fatass in the pilot’s seat.”
More critics online quickly denounced the post as “vile” and “dehumanizing”. Democratic Strategist Matt McDermott posted on X: “The wildest part about the largest protest in American history is that the president’s response was to post a video literally proving the point of the protest.”
Thus, the backlash from Trump about Saturday’s event may be just amplifying the message. The #NoKings hashtag surged again overnight, with protest organizers calling the clip proof of why they march.
As spectacle continues, the “No Kings” fight — once confined to the streets — now unfolds on screens, where political power is performed in pixels.
