WASHINGTON — Republican leaders have spent the past week ridiculing the “No Kings” protest movement, dismissing it as a partisan stunt and branding it a “Hate America” campaign. Yet a striking new national poll released Wednesday suggests that Americans are not laughing. Instead, a majority say they sympathize with the movement’s message that President Donald Trump has overstepped constitutional limits, and nearly half believe the protests represent a legitimate defense of democracy.
The findings, published by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, come just days after millions of demonstrators took to the streets in more than 2,700 rallies nationwide under the “No Kings” banner. The protests, which organizers framed as a rejection of authoritarianism, drew some of the largest crowds since the Women’s March of 2017. While Republicans have sought to portray the movement as fringe, the survey indicates that its resonance extends well beyond the Democratic base.
According to the poll, 58 percent of Americans said they agreed with the statement that the “No Kings” protests reflect “legitimate concerns about threats to democracy.” Only 32 percent said they viewed the protests as “partisan theatrics.” Perhaps more striking, 46 percent of independents said they supported the movement’s goals, suggesting that its appeal cuts across party lines.
GOP Ridicule Meets Public Unease
Republican officials have responded to the protests with scorn. House Speaker Mike Johnson called the rallies “a carnival of the radical left,” while Senator Josh Hawley described them as “street theater designed to delegitimize a duly elected president.” Trump himself mocked the demonstrators in a Truth Social post, sharing a digitally altered video of himself wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet over crowds of protesters.
The ridicule has been echoed across conservative media, where commentators have derided the movement as unserious and unpatriotic. Fox News host Laura Ingraham called it “performance art masquerading as politics,” while others suggested the protests were orchestrated by Democratic operatives.
But the new poll suggests that such dismissals may underestimate the depth of public unease. Asked whether they believed Trump had “expanded presidential power beyond constitutional limits,” 54 percent of respondents said yes, including 28 percent of Republicans. That figure represents a notable increase from earlier this year, when only 46 percent expressed similar concerns.
“The data show that while Republican elites may be mocking the protests, ordinary Americans are taking the underlying issues seriously,” said Carroll Doherty, director of political research at Pew. “There is a growing perception that the balance of power is shifting in ways that threaten democratic norms.”
The Movement’s Roots and Symbolism
The “No Kings” movement traces its origins to June 2025, when millions rallied on Trump’s birthday in response to a military parade in Washington that critics said blurred the line between civilian leadership and martial spectacle. Organizers adopted the Revolutionary War slogan “No Kings” to emphasize their belief that Trump’s rhetoric and actions — from referring to himself as “chosen” to sharing imagery of himself as a monarch — represented a fundamental challenge to the republic’s founding principles.
Saturday’s demonstrations marked the second national day of action, with rallies in every state and solidarity events abroad. Protesters carried signs reading “Democracy, Not Dynasty” and “No Kings, No Tyrants,” while speakers invoked the legacy of the American Revolution.
The movement has drawn support from a wide array of groups, including labor unions, civil rights organizations, and student activists. Its leaders insist that it is nonpartisan, though Republicans have sought to paint it as a Democratic initiative. “This is not about party,” said Ezra Levin, co‑founder of the advocacy group Indivisible. “It’s about the principle that no leader is above the law.”
Polling Signals a Broader Shift
The Pew survey suggests that the protests may be shaping public opinion in ways that could have lasting political consequences. In addition to the 58 percent who said they sympathized with the movement’s concerns, 62 percent said they believed “citizens have a duty to protest when they feel democracy is threatened.” That figure was up from 55 percent in a similar survey conducted in 2023.
The poll also found that younger Americans were particularly supportive, with 71 percent of respondents under 35 expressing sympathy for the protests. Among older Americans, support was more divided, but even among those over 65, 44 percent said they agreed with the movement’s message.
“These numbers suggest that the protests are tapping into a broader anxiety about the state of American democracy,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “It’s not just about Trump. It’s about a sense that the system itself is under strain.”
Political Implications Ahead of Midterms
The poll’s findings could have significant implications for the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats are already seeking to harness the energy of the protests, framing them as evidence of a grassroots movement to defend democracy. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the rallies as “a testament to the enduring strength of the American people,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said they showed “the people will not be silenced.”
Republicans, meanwhile, face a delicate balancing act. While mocking the protests may rally the party’s base, the risk is that it alienates independents and moderates who share concerns about democratic norms. The Pew poll found that 41 percent of independents said they were less likely to support candidates who dismissed the protests as illegitimate.
“The GOP strategy of ridicule may play well with core supporters, but it could backfire with swing voters,” said Amy Walter, editor of the Cook Political Report. “The data suggest that a significant share of the electorate is uneasy, and dismissing those concerns outright could be risky.”
A Nation Divided, But Engaged
The “No Kings” protests are the latest in a series of mass mobilizations that have punctuated American politics in recent years, from the Women’s March to Black Lives Matter demonstrations. What sets them apart is their explicit framing as a defense against authoritarianism.
Political scientists say such mobilizations are both a sign of democratic vitality and a symptom of democratic stress. “When millions take to the streets, it shows that civil society is alive and engaged,” said Stanford democracy scholar Larry Diamond. “But it also signals that institutional checks and balances are perceived as insufficient, forcing citizens to act directly.”
For many protesters, the symbolism of rejecting kingship resonates deeply. “We fought a revolution to rid ourselves of monarchy,” said Sarah Martinez, a teacher who marched in Philadelphia. “The idea that a president can act like a king is an insult to everything this country stands for.”
Conclusion: Ridicule Meets Resolve
As Republicans continue to ridicule the “No Kings” movement, the new poll suggests that Americans are not laughing. Instead, a majority see the protests as a legitimate expression of concern about the health of democracy. The findings highlight the gap between political elites and public sentiment, and they underscore the potential for grassroots mobilization to shape the national conversation.
Whether the movement can sustain its momentum remains to be seen. But for now, it has succeeded in drawing attention to questions at the heart of American democracy: the limits of presidential power, the role of citizens in defending institutions, and the enduring relevance of the nation’s founding principles.
As one protester in Washington put it, holding a sign that read “No Kings, Only Citizens”: “This isn’t about left or right. It’s about whether we still believe in the idea of a republic. And judging by the crowds, a lot of Americans do.”
Reporting by Nick Ravenshade. Original reporting and analysis NENC Media Group.
Sources: Politico, CBS News, Wikipedia, DW, CNBC.
Photo: Bradley Andrews / Unsplash
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