Speaker Johnson Exposes the Ridiculous ‘No Kings’ Narrative in Under a Minute [WATCH]

House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the nationwide “No Kings” protests held Saturday as a “stunt,” arguing that the very existence of the demonstrations disproved claims that President Donald Trump governs like a monarch.

Johnson made the remarks Sunday on ABC News’s This Week during an interview with host Jonathan Karl.

The coordinated protests, organized by anti-Trump groups across multiple cities, drew participants including attorney George Conway, who was seen wearing a shirt identifying himself as a member of Antifa.

🚨Never-Trumper George Conway spotted wearing an “I am Antifa” shirt at DMV “No Kings” protest. pic.twitter.com/0PFYZxD9nd

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 18, 2025

Demonstrators held signs and chanted slogans criticizing President Trump and his administration, framing the rallies as a stand against authoritarianism.

Karl questioned Johnson about his previous characterization of the protests as “hate America” rallies, a description the speaker used during an October 10 interview on Fox and Friends.

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At that time, Johnson predicted the demonstrations would include “the pro-Hamas wing and the, you know, the Antifa people.”

“Start with the ‘No Kings’ rallies. You called these ‘Hate America’ rallies. What do you mean?” Karl asked.

“That collection of folks that I listed were part of it,” Johnson said.

“We congratulate them on a violent-free, free speech exercise. The irony of the message is clear for everyone. If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now. If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise on the Mall which was open because President Trump hasn’t closed it. In the last shutdown, 2013, President Obama closed the National Mall, the national parks, didn’t allow people to engage in all this. They needed a stunt. They needed a show.”

The speaker’s comments came amid the ongoing partial government shutdown that began at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, after the Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution to fund federal agencies.

The measure fell short of the 60 votes required to overcome a Democratic filibuster.

The House had approved a short-term funding bill on September 19.

President Trump and congressional Republicans have accused Democratic lawmakers of using the shutdown to delay or obstruct government operations rather than negotiate a long-term funding agreement.

The protests also occurred less than a month after President Trump announced that Antifa had been formally designated a domestic terrorist organization.

The announcement, made on September 17 via Truth Social, followed the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during a campus event at Utah Valley University earlier that month.

Antifa-linked violence has been documented in several U.S. cities over recent years.

In Portland, Oregon, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility has repeatedly been targeted by rioters opposing the agency’s enforcement operations against illegal immigrants.

Federal officials said Antifa members assaulted conservative journalists and attempted to use high-powered lasers to disable federal aircraft during previous riots.

The organization was also involved in widespread unrest following the death of George Floyd in May 2020 and participated in the violent demonstrations that took place in Portland in January 2021.

In June 2019, journalist Andy Ngo was beaten by Antifa members while covering protests in the same city.

During his ABC interview, Johnson contrasted the current environment under President Trump with actions taken by former President Barack Obama during a previous government shutdown.

Johnson noted that public spaces, including the National Mall, remained open this time, allowing demonstrators to exercise their First Amendment rights.