The Republican Reaction to "No Kings"

Yesterday, the Republican reaction to the massive "No Kings" rallies continued. Leading up to the demonstrations, Republicans had repeatedly warned that participants would be limited to Hamas supporters, Antifa, Marxists, and other unhinged leftists whose message would be that they hate America. When the rallies turned out to mostly consist of normal people, many waving American flags and otherwise celebrating America, the Republican reaction was to become even more extreme in their rhetoric. The Republican Party is now mostly a cult devoted to cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump. For his part, as I wrote yesterday, Trump's immediate reaction was to post a video showing him wearing a crown while piloting a fighter jet and dropping feces on rally attendees. Trump, whose cognitive abilities show obvious decline, is increasingly disconnected from reality. This left Republican leaders largely rudderless and forced to navigate the post "No Kings" waters without much in the way of leadership from Trump.

One of the most bizarre responses was from the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson. On Sunday, Johnson was forced to concede that the rallies had been a "violence-free, free speech exercise," but then, without apparently noticing the irony, listed multiple arbitrary and likely unlawful actions by Trump as evidence that Trump is not, in fact, a king. When asked yesterday about Trump's video in which Trump was shown defecating on the American people, Johnson replied that "The president uses social media to make a point...He is using satire to make a point." But what point does Johnson believe that Trump was trying to make? Is it better that Trump wants to metaphorically take a dump on America rather than do it literally? I will give credit to Johnson for not claiming that he hadn't seen the video. Johnson has recently claimed to be unaware of almost any news event on which commenting would be uncomfortable for him. At least Trump's diarrhea video broke through Johnson's media bubble.

Standing right next to Johnson while Johnson talked about satire was Congressman Chip Roy, a Texan who is currently running for the office of Attorney General in Texas. When Roy took to the microphone, he made the remarkable statement that:

The truth is the Marxist, radicals, and Islamists the Democratic Party promoted this weekend, they cannot handle the truth. The truth is that there is a king and that king is Jesus. And the president has been willing to say it, his administration has been willing to say it, and Charlie Kirk was willing to say it and he got killed for it.

This is an extraordinary erasure of the separation of church and state and a full-throated promotion of Christian fascism. That neither Johnson nor House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, both of whom flanked Roy while he talked, objected to Roy's proclamation of America as a theocracy is damning. It is not a lie to say that the House Republican leadership's current stance is that America should be a Christian kingdom led by a man who enjoys the suggestion of dumping feces on his supposed subjects. While non-Christians would obviously take issue with the Republican position, I would think that Christians would find the idea even more repulsive. Is this truly what they believe their religion represents?

But Roy wasn't done with controversial remarks. Yesterday he also told a group of reporters that "We need to be taking a look at the 60-vote threshold. We really do." What Roy is referring to is the filibuster. The government is currently closed because Senate Democrats have voted against cloture, which would end debate and allow a vote on a continuing resolution that would provide short-term funding to the government. Roy wants to invoke the so-called "nuclear option" that would eliminate the filibuster and allow a vote with a 50-vote threshold.

Both parties have factions that would like to get rid of the filibuster. When Democrats had a Senate majority, they could have passed abortion rights, gun control, healthcare, and other popular measures had they not had to overcome a 60-vote threshold. In contrast, nomination confirmations and many spending bills, the main Republican priorities, are not subject to the filibuster. Therefore, many see the filibuster as a more of an obstacle for Democrats than it is for Republicans. Both Trump and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene have previously supported the elimination of the filibuster. Yesterday, even Republican Senator Susan Collins, a moderate who is often troubled by Republican activities (please note the sarcasm), said that she was open to taking a look at the suggestion.

Many Democrats see dropping the filibuster as potentially a blessing in disguise. If the nuclear option were invoked to pass the continuing resolution, which does not extend healthcare premium tax credits, Republicans would exclusively own the cost increases that are about to impact millions of Americans. Already, many who purchase insurance through healthcare exchanges are receiving letters informing them of premium increases (my family's will increase 300%). Democrats would be happy to hang this development squarely on Republicans. Then, if Democrats regain a Senate majority, they will be able to freely pass their priority legislation. Premium tax credits could potentially be replaced by single-payer healthcare.

In other autocracy-related news, there was an important decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday. At issue was a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut that prevented Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. A three-judge panel consisting of two Trump appointees and one Clinton nominee stayed that order. However, Trump is still prevented from immediately deploying the troops due to another order that remains in effect. Within two hours, it was announced that a request had been made by a judge for the court to reconsider the matter en banc. In most circuits, this would mean that a full panel of appellate judges would hear the case. But the Ninth Circuit has a large cohort of judges and, instead, normally randomly selects ten judges for the en banc panel. If enough judges vote to rehear the case, that will likely be the next step. Otherwise, the case could go directly to the Supreme Court.

Finally, pictures showed that yesterday, as part of Trump's plan to construct a ballroom, demolition of part of the East Wing of the White House had taken place. Photos and video showed the building looking as if it had been bombed damaged. This may be the most clear example of Trump's autocratic behavior to date. Trump alone decided that a new ballroom should be built on White House grounds. Trump alone arranged funding for the development. Trump alone has authorized expenditures on the work. While Trump once said that the project would not touch the existing building, Trump alone apparently approved the demolition of part of the historic structure. The White House is on the National Register of Historic Places, and as such, changes of this sort require approval from Congress, the National Park Service, the White House Historical Association, and the Commission of Fine Arts. This ensures that an important aspect of American history will be preserved. Trump simply ignored all of that and, like a king, ordered that the demolition begin. The Trump administration apparently realizes that it has knocked over a hornet’s nest in this case and is aggressively trying to counter message. Officials attempted to prohibit employees who work in the Treasury Building — which has a direct view of the demolition — from sharing photos. Administration officials have made spurious comparisons to changes that other presidents have made. For instance, Obama converted a tennis court to a basketball court. Obviously, that hardly compares to knocking down exterior walls of the East Wing of the White House.

The "No Kings" demonstration illustrated the widespread abhorrence of Trump's autocratic form of government. While Trump and some Republican officials have made weak denials that he is a king, their overall reaction was to demonstrate that while Trump may not be a king at this moment, he would certainly like to be one. Chip Roy wants to turn the country into a theocracy and eliminate the filibuster so that both the House and the Senate can be rubber stamps for Trump's desires. A Trump-favorable court took a step toward allowing the deployment of National Guard troops into an American city against the opposition of state and local leaders. Trump himself emulated Great Britain’s King George III by ordering the partial destruction of the White House. All in all, yesterday was not a great day for democracy.