Trump denies being ‘king’ amid nationwide ‘No Kings’ democracy protests

As President Donald Trump and his administration brushed aside nationwide “No Kings” protests berating the president over the weekend, Democrats praised demonstrators for standing up for democracy.

This is at least the second time “No Kings” rallies have been held across the country in major cities, including Washington, New York and Los Angeles, since Trump took office for the second time, and organizers say the protests are in opposition to his authoritarian policies.

Meanwhile, Trump pushed back against the “king” description, as he and other Republicans mocked the millions of people attending the rallies.

PROTESTERS NATIONWIDE ORGANIZE “NO KINGS” RALLIES AMID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Protesters gather in Washington for the “No Kings Day” demonstration, October 18, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)

“I’m not a king,” Trump told reporters Sunday on Air Force One. “I work hard to make our country great. That’s all. I’m not a king at all.”

Trump also called the protests inconsequential and said those who participated did not accurately reflect the population that makes up the United States.

“The protests were very small, very ineffective and people were devastated,” Trump said Sunday. “When you look at these people, they are not representative of the population of our country.”

Despite Trump’s refusal to be referred to as a king, official White House social media accounts already posted an image in February of Trump wearing a crown with a caption saying “long live the king.” Trump also reposted an AI-generated video that Vice President JD Vance originally shared, showing Trump placing a crown on his head and drawing a sword.

Additionally, Trump shared another AI-generated video of himself donning a crown on a fighter jet over New York, dumping what appeared to be feces on protesters.

WATCH: ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTERS AT MASSIVE NYC RALLY REVEAL MOTIVATION FOR TAKENING THE STREETS: ‘DISGUSTING’

Democrats praised the protesters for defending democracy. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. needed a distraction from the government shutdown that began on October 1, although Johnson admitted that the protests proved to be an “exercise in free speech, without violence.”

“They needed a twist,” Johnson said in an interview with ABC Sunday. “They needed a show. Chuck Schumer needs cover right now. He shut down the government because he needed political cover, and that was part of it.”

However, Democrats said the protests were an opportunity to defend democracy. For example, Schumer said there are “no dictators” in the United States and that “we will not allow Trump to continue to erode our democracy.”

“Dictators evolve when good people, of all beliefs and backgrounds, remain silent,” Schumer said in a social media post Saturday. “This day without kings says we will not remain silent.”

Additionally, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shared a video clip of herself taking apart a plastic crown, appearing to recall the moment she tore up Trump’s State of the Union address in 2020.

“We’re going to tear the crown apart!” Pelosi said in the brief clip, which she shared on social media with the caption: “No crown. #NoKings!”

Nationwide unrest looms as “no kings” protesters begin to gather in major U.S. cities.

President Donald Trump and his administration have brushed aside nationwide “No Kings” protests. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)

Sen. Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, also weighed in, saying that “we said ‘no’ to kings and reminded the nation and the world what patriotism looks like.”

“From the nation’s capital to cities across California, millions of people have come together to say that our democracy is worth fighting for, that our voices will not be silenced, and that we will not stand idly by and let a would-be king take our freedoms,” Schiff said Saturday alongside several photos of himself at the protest in Washington. “Proud to be by your side.”

Additionally, Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, said the protests reflected the democratic process in the United States.

“This is what democracy looks like!” » Murray said in a social media post Saturday. “We use our voices and our votes. NO KINGS IN AMERICA!”