{"id":4048,"date":"2025-10-18T16:45:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T16:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=4048"},"modified":"2025-10-18T16:45:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T16:45:07","slug":"why-the-no-kings-protests-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=4048","title":{"rendered":"Why the No Kings Protests Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n Demonstrators gather in front of the federal building guarded by a mix of U.S. Marines and National Guards during the \u201cNo Kings\u201d protest following immigration operations in Los Angeles on July 4, 2025.<\/span>\u00a0Photo: Etienne Laurent\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last Friday, new<\/span> talking points were seemingly rolled out across the MAGA sphere. Top GOP leadership, from House Speaker Mike Johnson to Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, began seeding a narrative about today\u2019s \u201cNo Kings\u201d protests<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Rather than describing them for what they are \u2014 First Amendment-protected rallies where millions of Americans are expected to peacefully stand against the Trump administration\u2019s unconstitutional, authoritarian, and un-American agenda \u2014 Republican leadership is framing the upcoming demonstrations as \u201cHate America\u201d<\/a> protests. Party leaders also called the gatherings \u201cterrorist\u201d<\/a> and \u201cSoros-funded<\/a>\u201d events that would be filled to the brim with \u201cthe antifa crowd, the pro-Hamas crowd, and the Marxists<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

This trial-balloon messaging is meant to get ahead of what organizers say could be one of the largest days of mass protest in U.S. history, with events planned in every state. Millions of Americans are projected to attend some 2,500 rallies to oppose the illegality and immorality of the Trump agenda, the destruction of hard-won civil and constitutional rights, and the fascist ambitions of the MAGA movement. Republican leaders are attempting to preemptively cast this protest within the framework Stephen Miller has been working to aggressively mainstream since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, where all who oppose the extremist MAGA agenda are \u201cdomestic terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n

To their credit, Democratic and Independent leaders responded quickly. Sen. Bernie Sanders issued a statement<\/a> pointing out that the No Kings protests are protected under the First Amendment and, contrary to right-wing smears, protesters are <\/em>standing up for American values. Former Republican and now Independent Joe Walsh called<\/a> out the GOP\u2019s attempt to vilify half of the American electorate as \u201cshameful\u201d in a post on Twitter and urged his followers to attend the protests, emphasizing that his former party is \u201cscared to death<\/a>\u201d of the looming rallies.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true: MAGA is terrified of the specter of massive nonviolent protest \u2014 and for good reason. Nothing threatens their agenda more than millions of ordinary Americans mobilizing to put a face to the opposition.<\/p>\n

The Impact of Images of Dissent<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The administration has been working overtime in recent weeks to vilify and alienate its opposition, painting Democrats and left-leaning activists alike as violent extremists. With their media footholds and tight messaging discipline, they\u2019ve had some success in painting a picture of a fictional, widespread antifa threat, which is already serving as a pretext<\/a> for the Trump\u2019s administration\u2019s Justice Department to file terrorism charges against its foes.<\/p>\n

But pictures are louder than words or soundbites. Even small-scale protests, like the inflatable frog demonstrations<\/a> against ICE in Oregon, have resonated widely and effectively negated MAGA\u2019s breathless portrayal of Portland as a city under siege <\/a>by any forces other than the National Guard.<\/p>\n

By making visible both the magnitude of opposition to MAGA\u2019s authoritarianism and the everyday relatability of the Americans who are taking a righteous stand, the No Kings rallies pose a real PR problem for the extremist right. They puncture the narrative fictions that the MAGA movement has been working so hard to construct and undermine the credibility of their messengers. They also force GOP leaders into the awkward position of explaining why a large swath of the American public, from every walk of life are, supposedly \u201cdomestic terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mass nonviolent protests also effectively jolt the disengaged public to pay attention. Americans understandably tune out of day-to-day politics to focus on their immediate sphere; they\u2019re overwhelmed, exhausted, and cynical about politics. But moments of mass protests, when millions are in the streets, are hard to ignore<\/a>. They generate news coverage and powerful images that serve as irrefutable proof that all is not well, and there is widespread opposition to the regime\u2019s agenda. Critically, they also remind us that we\u2019re not standing alone.<\/p>\n

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The Persuasive Power of Protest<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Protests as evidence of widespread defiance also reach far beyond the American public. They resonate with international audiences and key decision-makers in places like the Supreme Court, the military, and other institutions that may soon be in a position to decide if they will further comply with the administration\u2019s demands.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Political scientists Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan\u2019s widespread research on the power of nonviolent protest<\/a> spells out how protest and institutional compliance impact one another. In their findings, they identify that once 3.5 percent of a country\u2019s population is engaged in sustained nonviolent protest, authoritarian regimes find it difficult, if not impossible, to carry out their agendas. That\u2019s because visible protest from large swaths of the population signals a deeper opposition throughout society, including within the very institutions and constituencies an authoritarian regime needs to enforce its will. Widespread public resistance makes obedience \u2014 and the carrying out of unconstitutional orders \u2014 exponentially harder.<\/p>\n

And even for those sitting on the fence, mass protest is among the most powerful tools of persuasion available. The Trump administration remains deeply unpopular<\/a>, and the No Kings protests have the potential to push that unpopularity to new heights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Throughout U.S. history, mass protest has driven some of our most consequential shifts in public opinion. Mass protests were critical in building public support and shaping beliefs to win core democratic advances, including civil rights, the social safety net, and women\u2019s suffrage. Sociologist Charles Tilly distilled the key qualities that make mass protest persuasive, popular, and durable. His framework<\/a> offers four key elements for a successful movement: worthiness, which hinges on the credibility of the participants; unity, which refers to the cohesiveness of the messages; numbers, or the size of the protest; and commitment, or ability of those involved to persevere.<\/p>\n

Scholars later added a fifth \u2014 diversity \u2014 to assess the breadth of who is represented. Together, these elements correlate strongly with a movement\u2019s legitimacy, its ability to inspire bystanders to join in<\/a>, and its power to influence elites<\/a> and institutions.<\/p>\n

The last time this full constellation appeared in the United States was during the overwhelmingly peaceful<\/a> <\/strong>George Floyd protests. It may be hard to remember in this moment of revisionist backlash<\/a>, but that massive, multiracial, and persistent protest moment powerfully shifted the national conversation on systemic racism. In the summer of 2020, nearly 1 in 5 Americans<\/a> named race relations as the country\u2019s top concern, and a majority recognized systemic racism as a societal problem<\/a>. That surge in public consciousness and moral urgency around ending systemic racism was so persuasive and enduring that it drove Democratic voter registration <\/a>and helped propel Joe Biden to victory in the 2020 election.<\/a><\/p>\n

Through this framework, we can clearly understand the threat the MAGA regime sees in the No Kings protests: Millions (numbers<\/strong>) of everyday Americans (worthiness<\/strong>) from all walks of life (diversity<\/strong>) standing together (unity<\/strong>) for the second<\/em> time (commitment<\/strong>) for core American values and constitutional and civil rights pose an existential threat to authoritarian ambitions. It is a potential turning point \u2014 one that could accelerate the erosion of support for MAGA\u2019s political project, grow the pro-democracy movement that opposes it, and sow seeds of doubt within the administration\u2019s ranks.<\/p>\n

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