House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Sunday dismissed nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump as a “stunt,” arguing on ABC’s “This Week” that the very fact the rallies took place proves the President is not an authoritarian ruler.
Dozens of protests were held across the country on Saturday, including an event where prominent Trump critic George Conway was seen wearing a T-shirt identifying himself as a member of Antifa.
Host Jonathan Karl questioned Johnson about his previous characterization of the anti-Trump rallies as a “hate America” event, a phrase the Speaker used during an October 10 appearance on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” when he predicted the gathering would feature “the pro-Hamas wing and the, you know, the Antifa people.”
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“Start with the ‘No Kings’ rallies. You called these ‘Hate America’ rallies. What do you mean?” Karl asked the Speaker.
“That collection of folks that I listed were part of it,” Johnson responded. “We congratulate them on a violence-free, free speech exercise. The irony of the message is clear for everyone.”
The Speaker continued, linking the ability of the protestors to gather to the current partial government shutdown. The federal government entered a partial shutdown on October 1 after the Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution.
“If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now,” Johnson asserted. “If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise on the Mall which was open because President Trump hasn’t closed it. In the last shutdown, 2013, President Obama closed the National Mall, the national parks, didn’t allow people to engage in all this. They needed a stunt. They needed a show.”
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The Speaker’s comments come as the House of Representatives, which passed a short-term funding bill on September 19, and the Senate remain at an impasse over resolving the government shutdown.
Antifa has been a focal point of discussion after President Trump declared it a domestic terrorist organization in a September 17 Truth Social post, following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The anti-fascist group has been previously involved in riots in the wake of George Floyd’s death, January 2021 riots in Portland, and has targeted conservative journalists.
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