Republicans have spent many days trying to sideline the massive anti-Trump “No Kings” rallies held across the country over the weekend.
They argued that the people involved were extremists and even predicted that they would be violent (which turned out not to be true). They have claimed that protesters hate the United States. And they have argued that the “No Kings” message itself is meaningless, given that President Donald Trump is a democratically elected president who sometimes works with Congress.
Trump said Sunday that the people “were not representative of this country.” He and his team have begun posting mocking AI memes and videos in which Trump dons a crown, including one the president shared in which he dumps brown debris on protesters.
House Speaker Mike Johnson added Monday night on Fox News that the protesters’ messages were “completely opposed to what America was founded on.”
However, a new poll reinforces how much the core idea of the “No Kings” message has resonated with much of the American public.
In fact, most Americans seem to sympathize with her, at least to some extent. And their ranks seem to be growing.
The Public Religion Research Institute survey gave people two options. One was that Trump is a “potentially dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys democracy.” The other was that he is a “strong leader who must be given the power he needs to restore America to greatness.”
Americans chose the “dictator” option by a wide margin, 56%-41%.
And notably, that margin has nearly doubled since April, when Americans also sided with the “dictator” option, but by a smaller margin, from 52% to 44%.
The same poll also showed that a 54% majority sided with the view that Trump is waging an “assault on constitutional balances and the rule of law.” The alternative was that his reform of the federal government is “a long-awaited correction of disastrous policies” (43%).
It is possible to exaggerate figures from surveys like this. Giving people binary options can inflate the numbers by making people choose one extreme or the other. People who don’t like Trump but don’t believe he is a dictator might feel compelled to choose the “dictator” option to avoid supporting a man they don’t like.
But it’s telling that the survey also asked people about the strength of their views. 45% of Americans said they “strongly” agreed that Trump was a dangerous dictator, and 43% strongly agreed that he is waging an assault on checks and balances and the rule of law.
In both cases, almost half of independents strongly agreed with those sentiments.
These are, to put it mildly, not insignificant figures. Say what you want about the elements of the “No Kings” protests; This poll suggests that the push for protests doesn’t seem ridiculous to most Americans.
And this is simply the latest indicator that a large number of Americans have such concerns.
Clear majorities see that it exceeds its powers
Whether “dictator” or “king” are particularly appropriate labels, Americans are clearly sympathetic to the idea that Trump is abusing his power.
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Fifty-six percent said Trump had gone “too far” in “using the power of the presidency and executive branch,” according to a July CNN poll. That was an increase from 52% in February.
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Fifty-seven percent said Trump had gone “too far” in using presidential power to achieve his goals, according to an April AP-NORC poll.
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Sixty-nine percent said Trump was wielding more presidential power than other recent presidents, and 49% said that and that he was “bad” for the country, according to a September Pew Research Center survey.
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Fifty-four percent of registered voters said he is “exceeding the powers at his disposal,” according to a September New York Times-Siena College poll. (That included nearly 1 in 5 Republicans.)
Amid Saturday’s demonstrations, several conservatives argued that invoking “Kings” was inconsequential, given that Trump was popularly elected in 2024.
“I don’t understand how Trump is a king when he won every swing state, the electoral college and the popular vote in a democratic election,” Meghan McCain said.
Fox News analyst Brit Hume noted that at least some of Trump’s policies have won congressional approval. “A king,” he said.
But there is no doubt that Trump has ignored the limits of his authority (and ignored Congress) in an extraordinary way. The protesters do not appear to be arguing that Trump is technically a monarch, but rather that he seeks to wield unchecked power when he can.
And that seems to be an argument that most Americans are sympathetic to.
Many have been worried about this for a long time.
If anything, these concerns already existed and have become more pronounced as Trump has gained more power.
Before Trump’s second term began:
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Fifty-three percent said he was at least “somewhat likely” to act as a dictator, according to a Reuters-Ipsos poll in December.
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Fifty-three percent of voters said they were “concerned” about Trump’s 2023 comment (he claims it was a joke) that he wanted to be a dictator for a day, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
It’s not just a partisan issue.
It might be tempting to look at these numbers and think, well, it’s just partisan.
A decade ago, many Republicans accused Barack Obama of also acting like a king. And what happened when Joe Biden tried to circumvent a Supreme Court ruling invalidating his student loan decision?
But Americans clearly see a difference with Trump.
For one thing, in the last poll mentioned above, only about 2 in 10 voters said Trump’s then-opponent, Kamala Harris, was a fascist—less than half of Trump voters.
On the other hand, the Washington Post-Ipsos poll showed that only 34% of Americans thought Biden had overstepped his authority, compared to 62% for Trump.
And perhaps tellingly, the AP-NORC poll in April showed that a majority of Americans suddenly wanted to restrict that presidency in ways they hadn’t before. The percentage who said a president has “too much” power rose from 32% last year (under Biden) to 54% (under Trump).
All of which suggests that Americans – or at least most of them – see something extraordinary happening right now.
Republicans can try to downplay the “No Kings” protests all they want, but they are talking about something that is very real for many people.
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