'No Kings' protesters silent when Democrats rule as monarch

A series of "No Kings" protests are touted to take place again on Saturday, representing yet another wave of organized objection from left-wing activists using the government shutdown to fill streets across the country. The same people aren't so quick — or capable — of explaining away why they sat silent while President Joe Biden engaged in activities that clearly exceeded his executive authority.

These protest gatherings, organized by groups like Indivisible and various labor unions, are working from a narrative of using patriotic rhetoric and symbolism to criticize President Donald Trump as a would-be monarch, ignoring how their history and demands for unchecked federal spending and censorship echo the very authoritarianism they decry. 

Executive Overreach on Student Loan Forgiveness

Joe Biden's push for widespread student loan forgiveness by fiat through executive action was seen by many as a king-like act, bypassing Congress and ignoring Supreme Court precedents to unilaterally erase billions in debt. Critics argued the move treated the executive branch as an unchecked sovereign, with edicts that exacerbated economic burdens on everyday Americans without approval from Congress. 

Furthermore, Biden attempted to forgive student loans from multiple programs by bypassing Congress altogether. Biden attempted to forgive — on his signature alone — up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for other borrowers earning less than $125,000 annually, using authority under the HEROES Act. 

The 2022 plan aimed to cancel roughly $400 billion in debt but was struck down by the United States Supreme Court in 2023 for exceeding executive authority. In what appeared to be further monarchical behavior in ignoring legal boundaries, Biden later pushed for alternative relief through the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan, which faced similar legal challenges.

Unilateral Immigration Enforcement Policies, Energy policies

Biden's early executive orders, like the 100-day deportation moratorium, were received by the same people complaining about Trump's actions as regal decrees that, again, bypassed Congress's role in establishing immigration policy. 

By selectively enforcing laws and expanding protections for illegal migrants, it appeared to be acting like a sovereign, granting sanctuary based on personal whim rather than statutory fidelity. This approach sparked border surges in the millions, the fallout of which the Trump administration is now dealing. 

A complicating result of Biden’s border crisis is currently playing out through the government shutdown as Democrats are pushing for $1.5 trillion in additional spending, including healthcare funding for illegal migrants who came into the country during the Biden administration, but were unilaterally deemed asylum-seekers.

Biden's first-day cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline and pause on new federal oil and gas leases were decried by conservative voices as monarchical edicts that disrupted industries without stakeholder or congressional input. These unilateral moves, framed as climate imperatives by the administration at the behest of the climate-change lobby, resembled a king's abrupt dissolution of ventures and interests deemed unfit or misaligned with the Biden agenda. The resulting economic fallout reinforced perceptions that Biden ruled by proclamation, imposing these green mandates that had dire effects on the U.S. economy.

What the protests may look like

Americans can expect to see thousands take to the streets in locations across all 50 states, turning peaceful marches into chaotic spectacles that burden local law enforcement and disrupt everyday Americans trying to navigate traffic and get to work on a Saturday. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a "Hate America" rally packed with radicals under the Antifa banner and pro-Hamas agitators, whose goal doesn't appear to be democracy but sowing division to pressure Republicans into caving on shutdown talks. 

Previous 'No Kings' protests fizzled this summer, leaving only littered parks in their wake and few tangible policy results.