WASHINGTON — For days, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has been weirdly fear-mongering about the nationwide “No Kings” protests set for Saturday.
The rallies, which are being organized by a coalition of pro-democracy groups ranging from the ACLU to the League of Conservation Voters to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), are expected to draw millions of people across all 50 states to peacefully protest President Donald Trump’s authoritarianism and his militarization of cities.
That doesn’t sound anything like what Johnson has been describing in his daily press conferences on Capitol Hill. In his telling, there can be no groundswell of public opposition to Trump. And the only people upset enough to join a protest are people who don’t just hate the president, they hate America and its founding ideals.
“I encourage you to watch, we call it the ‘hate America’ rally, that’ll happen Saturday,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday. “I bet you see pro-Hamas supporters. I bet you see antifa types. I bet you see the Marxists in full display, the people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has similarly said “No Kings” protesters want to “express their hatred toward this country,” while Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House majority whip, took things a step further, insanely claiming the groups behind the protests want “to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party.”
