An Overpowering Display of Weakness
Saturday provided a split-screen moment that illuminated how much the dominance Donald Trump craves is eluding his grasp while the resistance to his presidency grows in strength.
On one side of the screen was Trump’s military parade, ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army but really a $40 million birthday present to himself.
On the other side were hundreds of No Kings protests unfolding simultaneously across the country and around the world to say no to Trump’s use of the presidency as a monarchical plaything.
The comparison made Trump look buffoonish and democracy look strong.
There were early signs that Trump’s show of strength might fizzle. Only a handful of the fifty Republican lawmakers invited to attend said they planned to show up, with a number objecting to the cost of the spectacle and one—Rand Paul—comparing it to something you would see in North Korea. The forecast of severe weather threatened to cancel the event.
But even those who optimistically hoped the parade would fall flat probably couldn’t have envisioned how bad it actually would be. The administration had predicted as many as 200,000 people would be in attendance but the reality was much different. The Associated Press reported that turnout “appeared to fall far short” of that prediction, and described the crowd as having “large gaps between viewers.”
Journalistic standards prevented the AP from calling this response pathetic, but they didn’t prevent the New York Times from characterizing the event as “pretty listless and low-energy,” or observing that “hordes of people” left early. Another report noted the crowd was considerably smaller than a typical July 4th celebration on the National Mall.
And Trump seemed to know it. Appearing bored and perhaps falling asleep, photographers captured Trump looking pained and miserable at his big event.
Far from a frightening projection of authoritarian force, the parade revealed Trump for what he is—a hollow performer whose strongman ambitions do not align with the reality of his big top presidency.
In contrast, millions turned out across the country to show Donald Trump what really makes America great.
Saturday’s No Kings protests were designed to counter Trump’s military display with what organizers described as “a nationwide day of defiance”:
From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like.
I attended the protest in West Chester, PA, where energetic and purposeful crowds filled the four street corners in front of the old Chester County courthouse. The protest was powerful for its simplicity. People waved flags, carried home-made placards, and cheered exuberantly every time passing drivers honked their horns in support.
Demonstrations like this have been taking place for ages. In that regard it wasn’t extraordinary. But at a time when our liberties are under assault, it should not be taken for granted that thousands could peacefully assemble to express their views.
It was extraordinary that scenes like the one in front of the courthouse were materializing in hundreds of locations at the same time. If success can be measured in the size of the turnout—and certainly Donald Trump would measure it that way—then Saturday’s events were astounding.
Data journalist Elliott Morris at the Substack Strength in Numbers led an unofficial but comprehensive crowdsourcing effort to estimate Saturday’s turnout and reported that between 4-6 million people, or 1.2-1.8% of the population, attended a No Kings protest. This aligns with figures released by event organizers, who estimate over 5 million people attended, making Saturday the largest day of protest of the second Trump presidency. These estimates exceed April’s Hands Off protests by roughly 2 million, and are on par with or possibly greater than the turnout for the 2017 Women’s March at the start of Trump’s first term. That was the largest day of protest in American history.
For those who may have wondered why there has not been more public pushback to Trump’s egregious actions, Morris documents over 15,000 protests since Trump’s inauguration—three times the number than at the same point in Trump’s first term. Yesterday’s massive gathering should bring the size and scope of the resistance to the foreground of public awareness. The country is not remaining silent.
Morris sees Trump’s disregard for public opinion as the reason for this clear rebuke to his actions:
Both the number of protests and their massive size are warnings for the Trump administration, which has routinely trampled the limits of public opinion during the president’s second term. On immigration, deportations, Medicaid/social spending, and democracy, the president has pushed policy much farther right than sanctioned by the U.S. public. The mobilized resistance across the country on Saturday is a real-world sign of backlash to his unpopular agenda.
It is hard to read Saturday’s events any other way. Opposition to what Trump is doing to the country is deepening, widening and spreading. He is attempting to impose his will on a nation that is not behind him, and is instead motivating people to take to the streets in peaceful protest.
The juxtaposition between Saturday’s triumphant protests and Trump’s limp attempt to project power has to be humiliating to someone who demands fealty and seeks to rule with fear. The administration will attempt to spin what happened as some kind of victory for the great leader, but we have eyes.
The No Kings organizers were aware that if they were successful they would benefit from Saturday’s split-screen moment:
President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.
On Saturday, we saw what that real power looks like.
There should be no question now that Donald Trump is a weak strongman, or that the spirit of defiance which has always defined this country is alive and growing.
Love you.
Two statistics, or estimates. You talked about an expectation of 200K sycophants at Donnie's birthday party, but the AP said there were "large gaps" between viewers. One person I heard talked about "tens" of people, and the video scan I saw suggested no more than about 50.
You said a couple of times that there were "hundreds" of "No Kings" rallies. Estimates I have consistently read say there were 2000.
Other than that, it was a great post. Donnie does not, of course, tolerate this level of embarrassment, and he'll try to punish someone. I wonder if the small number of Congresspeople who bothered to attend his event means they're on the verge of rebelling in substantive Congressional ways.