Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was called out by critics online for his characterization of an upcoming “No Kings” rally scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C.
On October 18, millions of people are expected to participate in rallies across the country. The demonstrations were put together by the organization “No Kings” — a reference to the anti-Trump criticism that the President of the United States has sought to rule over the country like a monarch. The first demonstrations took place back in June.
According to the No Kings website, the D.C. protest was set to begin at the Alexandria Avenue Stone Bridge in Fort Hunt, Virginia, before making its way into the nation’s capital.
During a Friday press conference about the ongoing government shutdown, Johnson claimed there it was a “hate America” composed of an “Antifa crowd” and “pro-Hamas” crowd.
“Now, we’ve heard — and I’ll turn it back over to the leader to take some questions — but we’ve heard, and many of you have reported already, this ‘hate America’ rally that they have coming up for October 18th,” Johnson said. “The Antifa crowd, and the pro-Hamas crowd, and the Marxists, they’re all gonna gather on the mall.”
Johnson also claimed that House Democrats were selling t-shirts for the event and refusing to vote on reopening the government until after the events. Johnson called it an “outrageous gathering for outrageous purposes.”
For his colorful description of the event, Johnson was roundly criticized on social media, with some critics reminding the speaker that the right to protest and assemble, peacefully, is guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Mike Johnson hates the 1st Amendment. https://t.co/JxAZZgNsgr
— Stephanie "LB"
(@LincolnsBible) October 10, 2025
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