Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed Saturday’s “No Kings” protests as a “stunt” during a Sunday appearance on ABC News’s “This Week,” saying their taking place proved President Donald Trump wasn’t a king.
Dozens of protests against Trump took place Saturday nationwide, and in one event, prominent Trump critic George Conway was observed wearing a T-shirt proclaiming himself as a member of Antifa. Host Jonathan Karl asked Johnson about his past characterization of the rallies as a “hate America” event during Sunday’s appearance.
The speaker had predicted the event would feature “the pro-Hamas wing and the, you know, the Antifa people” during an Oct. 10 “Fox and Friends” appearance.
“Start with the ‘No Kings’ rallies. You called these ‘Hate America’ rallies. What do you mean?” Karl asked Johnson.
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“That collection of folks that I listed were part of it. We congratulate them on a violent-free, free speech exercise. The irony of the message is clear for everyone,” Johnson responded. “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 federal government entered a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1 after the Senate, falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, failed to pass a continuing resolution. The House of Representatives passed the short-term funding bill Sept. 19.
President Donald Trump declared Antifa a domestic terrorist organization in a Sept. 17 Truth Social post, a week after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a “Prove Me Wrong” event at Utah Valley University.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland has been the scene of multiple riots as opposition to the agency’s operations targeting illegal immigrants has intensified. Members of Antifa notably attacked conservative journalists covering the riots and reportedly planned to use lasers against aircraft used by federal law enforcement agencies.
Antifa was involved in the violent riots in the wake of the May 2020 death of George Floyd and in the January 2021 riots in Portland. Members of the group also attacked and beat journalist Andy Ngo in Portland in June 2019.
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