Supporters of the No Kings movement are expressing their outrage after President Donald Trump circulated an AI-generated video following nationwide protests against his administration. These protests were staged in opposition to what many see as Trump’s ‘authoritarian power grab’ and featured signs with messages such as ‘Democracy not Monarchy’ and ‘The Constitution is not optional,’ according to the BBC.
In the early hours of Sunday (October 19), Trump posted what seemed to be his response to these No Kings marches on his social media platform, Truth Social. The marches took place in 2,500 cities across all 50 states, including major cities like New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.
The video, set to Kenny Loggins’ 1986 song ‘Danger Zone’ from the film Top Gun, showed the President piloting a fictional ‘King Trump’ aircraft. While wearing a crown, Trump is seen ‘flying’ over New York City and dropping what looks like buckets of excrement over simulated protestors.
This video was initially shared on a popular account on X (formerly Twitter) and has since been discussed extensively on Reddit. One user commented, “Imagine just one second that any other president ever did something like this…,” while another noted: “Can’t believe that’s a president of a country.” Another user added: “Republicans – y’all must be so proud.”
Trump also shared additional videos, including one where he is depicted placing a crown on his head with Avenged Sevenfold’s ‘Hail to the King’ playing in the background, according to Variety.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and congressional Republicans have described the No Kings protests as ‘Hate America’ rallies. Johnson accused House Democrats of ‘selling T-shirts for the event’ and suggested that the government shutdown could not end until after the rally due to pressures from their supporters.
The ‘No King’ coalition responded with a statement, per Politico, accusing Johnson of running out of excuses for the government shutdown. The statement reads, “Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.”
In a Fox News interview, Trump appeared to address the protests, which also occurred in Miami, Los Angeles, and other key cities. “A king! This is not an act,” Trump stated in a preview clip. “You know – they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king.”
Reports indicate that around 100,000 people participated across New York City’s five boroughs, with no arrests related to the protests. Prominent Democratic figures such as Bernie Sanders, Raphael Warnock, Adam Schiff, Cory Booker, and Chuck Schumer attended the rallies, according to The Guardian.