No King?

Summer, 2025

No King?  No kidding.

Much has been said about the “No Kings” protests that drew an estimated 5 million people across the country. I’m not sure I can add anything new—but I have to laugh at the whole premise of the march.

I laugh because these protesters enjoy the very freedoms they seem to take for granted: the freedom to march, protest, burn effigies and even the American flag, and yell in the faces of the very soldiers whose job it is to protect their rights. Instead of vilifying them, they should be thanking them. Try these tactics in other countries—some people did in Egypt, and the response was far less tolerant.

Talk about kings. Have you ever seen more royally entitled people? And don’t we already have a “No Kings” day? We celebrate it every Fourth of July.

What exactly are they protesting? President Trump is no king. He represents just one branch of our government. Two other coequal branches exist to keep his—and any president’s—power in check. As of mid-June 2025, President Donald Trump has faced at least 39 nationwide injunctions during his second term alone, blocking a range of executive actions. That number far exceeds the 14 issued against the Biden administration during its first three years.

And where were these protesters when President Biden acted like a king? He issued sweeping executive orders that affected the lives of millions: $430 billion in student loan forgiveness (who was going to pay for that?), vaccine mandates, and eviction moratoriums on rental properties, just to name a few. His administration often steamrolled dissent. Consider the FBI memo targeting “radical-traditionalist” Catholics, pro-life protestors, or labeling concerned parents at school board meetings as “domestic threats.”

And let’s not forget how Biden himself was pushed aside as Democratic elites crowned Kamala Harris “queen” without even a primary process.

Then there’s the media, trying to convince us that the “No Kings” protests were somehow organic. Not so. According to this report from investigative journalist and author Asra Nomani (https://tinyurl.com/mv3tbvax), a massive network of Democratic organizations—many of them tax-exempt “nonpartisan” nonprofits—funded and coordinated this so-called grassroots uprising. These groups collectively bring in $2.1 billion annually.

“These are professional protest organizers,” Nomani says. “These protests are not just political statements. They are well-financed, orchestrated performances—designed to generate viral imagery, manipulate public perception, and blur the line between civic engagement and ideological agitation.”

An article in Just the News (https://tinyurl.com/mrf8dxxj) points to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) as one of the organizers of early L.A. rallies protesting ICE raids. Financial documents show that CHIRLA received more than $32 million from the state of California alone in recent years. Yes, that’s our tax dollars funding these tantrums.

Now contrast the media’s glowing coverage of the “No Kings” protests with its treatment of the celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday. That event was inspiring—an uplifting tribute to the history and service of our armed forces. But of course, the media was there to criticize and diminish what was patriotic and beautiful. Left-leaning pundits mocked it. News anchors offered only partial coverage. And when a Democrat supported it, they pounced.

Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was booed and criticized by his own party for defending the parade, calling comparisons to authoritarian regimes “crazy” and affirming it as a tribute to American soldiers. He seemed like a relic from a time when both parties could agree that patriotism was a good thing.

One of my favorite commentators, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, captured the spirit of the event in this poignant piece (https://tinyurl.com/3brpkm9t). She wrote, “The parade was a direct appeal to the public, bypassing the usual gatekeepers, offering a different story: one of pride, strength, and continuity.”

I’m not sure I’ll ever understand these people—their ideology, their tactics, or how they justify their actions. They are mean-spirited, disrespectful, unpatriotic, and yes, tyrannical. I’m disconnected from them, and honestly, I can’t empathize with them. Trying to is fruitless. We live in separate information biomes and do not share the same basic truths. Without common ground, meaningful discussion becomes impossible.

Still, I’m grateful to live in a country without kings, where we’re free to express ourselves.

Too bad the other side doesn’t get it.

Bess Fitzmaurice

Proud American wife, mom, legal immigrant and naturalized American citizen advocating for common sense, conservative values