President Trump denied being akin to a monarch during an interview that coincided with widespread “No King” protests throughout the nation.
In a conversation with FOX News’ Maria Bartiromo, he stated, “They call me a king. I’m not a king,” just before the protests took place on Saturday.
That same day, millions of Americans participated in demonstrations against the president and his administration. Altogether, around 2,600 protests occurred across all 50 states, including in both small towns and major cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Many members of the Democratic Party, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, joined the protesters. Conversely, Republicans largely supported Trump and criticized the demonstrations.
This protest marked the second “No King” event since Trump took office. A previous large-scale protest happened in June, coinciding with a parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. military, which also fell on the president’s 79th birthday.
Later that night, Trump shared an AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform. The video depicted him as a crowned figure flying a fighter jet labeled “King Trump” over protesters in New York City, dropping a brown liquid while “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins played.
The protests occurred during a government shutdown that began on October 1. A recent poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicated that 75% of those surveyed attributed at least some blame for the shutdown to President Trump.
Additionally, approximately three-quarters of respondents felt both Republicans and Democrats in Congress were to blame as well.
Trump remarked to Fox News, “The reason we’re canceling Democratic programming that we didn’t want is because the Democrats made one mistake. They didn’t realize it gave me the right to cut programs, giveaways, welfare programs, things that Republicans never wanted.”
During the interview, Trump also touched on the National Guard’s deployment in various cities. Since his return to power, his administration has sent troops to places like Los Angeles and Memphis while encountering legal challenges in Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
Now, the focus seems to be shifting towards San Francisco. “I think they want us to live in San Francisco,” he commented, reflecting on the city’s decline over the past 15 years despite its former status as one of the world’s great cities.
