This article provides a non-partisan explanation of what the No Kings movement is. This article neither condones nor condemns the actions of protesters or the current Presidential administration, nor does it speak on behalf of GCN or Franklin Community High School.
As students, we are expected to prepare for the world, learning to adapt to the demands of adulthood and navigate complex situations. One inherent responsibility as an American adult is to engage in our democratic government, not only by voting but also by making our voices heard.
The No Kings protest stems from the notion that America as a nation was created to defy the ideology of a king (historically being the King of Britain). America was made to have no kings; it was made to be run by the people, for the people. The name of the demonstration series is a response to the Trump Administration’s contentions on social media that Trump “is a king,” along with multiple social media posts by his administration that depict him as a monarch, per the No Kings website.
The current administration of President Trump has raised many alarms for citizens across the country. To combat illegal immigration, the administration has mobilized the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) to occupy cities and towns, detaining citizens they know to be illegal migrants. However, many believe that this agency has abused this command to detain innocent citizens, specifically Latin Americans and other minorities, without warrants. Further, citizens are dissatisfied with President Trump’s calls to states to adjust their congressional voting maps before the 10-year deadline in an attempt to obtain more Republican seats in the House of Representatives, which has a narrow gap between the 2 occupying parties. Citizens on both sides of the aisle are dissatisfied with the course of President Trump’s leadership, prompting a 40-44% approval national approval rating since April, according to Reuters.
According to the No Kings movement website, “The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings—and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.”
To make their voices heard, the No Kings organization has fortified its social media presence and encouraged like-minded citizens to attend their national protests, the first being on June 14th and the second on October 18th. Most recently, on October 18th, “over seven million Americans joined 2,700+ events in all 50 states,” according to the No Kings website.
While the organization revolves around the importance of remaining a peaceful protest, there are often depictions of violence resulting from the demonstrations. For example, as per Fox News, Boston police responded to reports that a man dressed in an inflatable Trump costume was attacked by protesters. There are also videos from Los Angeles, California, that show police and protestors engaging in verbal altercations that eventually became subtly physical.
President Trump has been moderately vocal in his reaction to the demonstrations, most notably by “posting an AI-generated video of him in a fighter jet dropping what appears to be feces on US protesters,” according to MSNBC. The next day, he described the turnout of the event to be “very small” and claimed that he and his team believe “radical left lunatics” to be behind the protests.
The American political field, as usual, is a battleground of varying beliefs. However, within President Trump’s administration, this tension has seemingly escalated. Yet, it is important to stay up to date with political occurrences through viable news sources. It is recommended that such sources be rooted in viable statistics, such as the reports of the Associated Press, Reuters, and the BBC. However, if one wishes to refer directly to the perspectives of either side, it is recommended that they visit the No Kings website or the White House official website.
