‘No Kings’ Protestors Are Wrong About Flag Day

dailycaller.com

This Saturday, Washington, D.C., is set to host a military parade to honor the 250th anniversary of the United States Army. The massive event, which coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday, is expected to feature thousands of soldiers along with several tanks, fighter jets, helicopters, historic vehicles, marching bands, and even a fireworks display.

This patriotic celebration is, of course, too much for nation-hating leftists who are more comfortable tearing down America’s history as opposed to celebrating it.

In an attempt to show their disdain for the early executive efforts of the Trump administration, especially around deportations and cutting government programs, more than 1,800 protests are planned for Saturday under the “No Kings” banner, which the organization has touted as a “nationwide day of defiance” that will “show the world what democracy really looks like.”

Given that Trump ran on both these issues and won both the electoral college and the popular vote in 2024, it would seem that the Trump administration is emblematic of “what democracy really looks like.” 

However, the left’s refusal to accept this result is telling.

When the left speaks of defending “our sacred democracy,” what they really mean is defending their hold on institutional power while utilizing regime-aligned direct action events like “No Kings” to intimidate their legitimate political opposition.

From the politically motivated bombings carried out by the Weather Underground in the 1970s, to the violence at Trump’s 2017 inauguration, to the George Floyd riots of 2020, and the recent anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles and elsewhere, the left’s vision of ‘democracy’ when not in power is nothing but unrest, disorder, and violence.

Despite the left’s fear-mongering and rhetoric about Trump acting as a king, his presidency has been marked not by unchecked power, but by the subversion and nullification of his legitimate executive power under Article II of the U.S. Constitution while fighting constant resistance from within the very institutions he was elected to lead.

Take, for example, the federalization of the California National Guard by the President to help quell the riots occurring in Los Angeles. California Governor Gavin Newsom sued, claiming that the order was illegal. A federal district court judge agreed, granted a temporary restraining order, and ordered the National Guard back under Newsom’s control, stating that (in his opinion) he believed the violence in Los Angeles falls far short of the justification for such an action.

Never mind the fact that the National Guard is under the broad authority of the Department of Defense, of which Trump is Commander in Chief. Never mind the violence against police and damage to property while thousands block traffic, throwing rocks at ICE agents, all while waving Mexican flags. This civil unrest, all in an attempt to interfere with the enforcement of Federal Immigration Law, is “protected” by the First Amendment, according to this unelected judge. (ROOKE: Trump Could Suffocate These Riots By Ending Massive Incentive Program For Illegal Immigrants)

The Trump administration has since appealed the ruling and was granted a stay, meaning we have a few more days until a new three-judge panel considers the case.

If Trump is a King, he needs to find himself a new court.

In response to the never-ending subversion of presidential power, Harvard Professor of Constitutional Law, Adrian Vermeule, wrote on X, “If your reaction to this is that ‘the process is working,’ you’re missing the point. Any one of almost 700 district judges might intervene at any time to block anything the President does, even within the core of his Article II powers. The overhang of uncertainty and confusion about where power lies in our government is toxic in itself.”

In truth, the “defenders of democracy” who will be taking part in the “No Kings” protests this weekend are not fighting despotism; they are protecting the parts of the regime, like activist judges, that conform to their ideological world view and cannot be voted out.

And what is this regime?

Political theorist Curtis Yarvin has described the real structure of power in America as a decentralized but coordinated oligarchy, which he calls “the Cathedral.” This system isn’t a conspiracy, but instead represents ideologically aligned elite institutions across media, academia, the administrative state, and corporate institutions that share a common progressive ideology and work toward the same political ends.

According to Yarvin, modern American democracy does not function like a representative republic, with limited direct voting; that framework was jettisoned long ago. Instead, it looks more like a managed regime, where elections change figureheads, but not policy direction. The elected president may enter office with a mandate from the people, as Trump has, but he must still navigate a labyrinth of agencies, courts, and bureaucrats that answer not to voters, but to each other.

One look at the “partners” listed on the “No Kings” website should make it clear that behind every glossy mass-produced protest sign is the ideologically aligned belief system of the American Federation of Teachers, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Greenpeace, and the Human Rights Campaign, as well as progressive megadonors such as George Soros and his Open Society Foundations. (RELATED: All The Usual Suspects Are Behind The Left’s Latest ‘Protests’)

When the left cries “No Kings!” it is not rejecting tyranny, it is defending the beliefs of the institutions mentioned above as well as the unaccountable authority entrenched within the federal courts, Department of Education, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), along with media outlets like NPR and PBS.

When the left cries “No Kings!” as Trump attempts to exercise his authority to remove criminal illegal aliens from the country, it is not fighting against despotism; it is fighting against the reassertion of National sovereignty.

Ultimately, judging by the Mexican flag-waving rioters in Los Angeles, “No Kings” means no borders and eventually, no country.

Trump is not a king — he is a duly elected president attempting to dismantle a hostile regime that treats democracy as a slogan and subversion as a sacrament.

These protestors are not grassroots; they’re astro-turfed ideological shock troops, conditioned by institutional elites and an unelected oligarchy to shout down any reassertion of national sovereignty, executive authority, or constitutional order that threatens the left’s grip on institutional power.

This is what their democracy really looks like.