The Growing Disillusionment Towards the Trump Administration
Photo by Miranda Duarte
The No Kings Protest: millions across the country take to the streets to demonstrate their disapproval to the current administration.
On October 18, millions of people around the United States organized protests to send a message that in America, there are no kings. These protests are directed towards the current president, Trump, whose actions many say resemble a monarch. People turned out, led marches and chants, and made posters to represent critical messages about the current state of the country. This national protest event is not new, as back in June, there were similar protests that had the same message. The No Kings protest shows the growing frustration among Americans as the president acts without checks to his power.
Since the last No Kings protest, the Trump administration has seemingly double downed on its actions that are polarizing the country. The Trump administration has been trying to accelerate deportations by unleashing ICE agents across the country to round up immigrants. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ICE has been using deceptive tactics to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants that are trying to carry on with their daily lives. Tactics include warrantless entry into homes, racial profiling, and intimidation. All of which violates these people’s constitutional rights—specifically the Fourth Amendment which requires probable cause for arrests. These ICE agents, and by extension Trump, do not believe in abiding by the law to carry out their immigration policies. This has instilled fear in immigration communities and a reason why many turned out to protest.
Another popular theme from this protest was not just about having no kings, but also no oligarchs. Americans have grown distrustful about those that hold power in the government as Trump has heavily aligned himself with billionaires. The biggest example being the brief time Elon Musk served as a “special government employee” while running the Department of Government Efficiency. His time while working with Trump proved to be a conflict of interest as having an ultra-wealthy individual be an advisor to the president did not sit well with the people. Musk was also responsible for the mass layoff of federal employees, cutting programs, and gaining access to sensitive data such as Social Security numbers.
Furthermore, the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has frustrated many Americans. According to Forbes, the OBBBA makes corporate tax breaks for high earners permanent by cutting low-income essential safety nets like Medicare and food stamps. If the Trump administration is trying to appeal to working-class Americans, this law does not provide assurance that the president has them in mind. This provides more context as to why many people’s signs contained messages about supporting medicare, providing assistance to vulnerable Americans, and an end to prioritizing billionaires over the people.
The Trump administration and Republican Party’s response to the No Kings protest is dismissive. According to ABC News, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defends labeling the protests as “hate America” rallies. Johnson condemns the protests as some messages on posters had “fascists must die”—which he considers to be violent rhetoric. On the Trump administration side, the president himself actually posted an AI-generated video of him wearing a crown while flying a fighter plane and dumping brown sludge on protesters. While the use of AI by the current president is not new, it does reveal a level of unprofessionalism and disregard to the message of the protest.
Although it has not even been a full year since President Trump took office, public opinion on him is looking dire. According to the Economist, Trump’s net approval rating is currently at -15, similar to his approval rating during his first term. Trump has been trying to push for policies that are largely unpopular by the public. Voters are also not happy with how he is handling central issues he focused on in his campaign—such as immigration, crime, and the economy.
While the turnout of millions to protest will probably not yield immediate results, it does send a clear, loud message to the president—the people are angry. Trump has single-handedly expanded the powers of the president by acting on his own, bypassing Congress and the Courts. The US president is sworn in to protect and uphold the Constitution, yet Trump has repeatedly violated several constitutional rights. According to the Constitution, these rights apply to all persons, not just American citizens. The First Amendment protects the right to freedom of speech and free assembly. As Congress seems compliant in allowing Trump’s power to remain unchecked, the people have raised their voices about their discontent. It seems that the people will continue protesting about the corruption and turmoil in the country, showing no fear about speaking up. Cynicism also should not prevent participation in democracy. As Abraham Lincoln famously said in his Gettysburg Address, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Sources:
https://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/this-deceptive-ice-tactic-violates-the-fourth-amendment
https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker