Before millions of Americans gathered in towns and cities across the U.S. on Saturday to protest the Trump administration, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called the ‘No Kings’ rallies “Hate America rallies.”
When he appeared on Sunday on ABC News’ This Week, Johnson congratulated the organizers of the rallies “on an apparently violence-free free speech exercise.”
Johnson quickly added, “But the irony of that message is pretty clear for everyone, if President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now. If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise on the Mall which by the way was open because President Trump hasn’t closed it.”
Johnson added, “By the way, President Obama shut down the National Mall” during the 2013 federal government shutdown “and didn’t allow people to engage in all of this.”
Note: During the 2013 shutdown, just like now, Congress hit an impasse over affordable health insurance. However, there were no massive protests like the ‘No Kings’ rallies being planned against the Obama administration.
Mike Johnson: “We congratulate them on an apparently violent-free speech exercise … but if President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now … by the way, the Mall was open because President Trump hasn’t closed it.” pic.twitter.com/YXGeEB5Stm
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 19, 2025
Critics of the Trump administration are slamming Johnson for his remarks including Democratic political analyst and influencer Jo Fernandez who responded: “Wait wait wait — in the same [expletive] breath he says Trump isn’t a king because he didn’t exercise the king like powers he has?!?” with a series of laughing/crying emojis.
Russ Drew also replied: “Speaker Mike Johnson just said Americans should be grateful the ‘King’ didn’t close the National Mall. That’s not democracy—it’s submission. His contempt for Americans who dissent reveals what the GOP truly wants: absolute obedience, not freedom.”
Drew shared photos from a No Kings rally in Arizona (below) and wrote: “No Kings Day really bridged the divide between the Democratic establishment and the grassroots.”
Love it. No Kings Day really bridged the divide between the Democratic establishment and the grassroots. More of this! #NoKings https://t.co/X5h7SgvuOu
— Russell Drew (@RussOnPolitics) October 19, 2025