Anti-Trump movement plans another nationwide action as debate grows over presidential power, mandates and whether outrage over executive authority depends on who occupies the White House
WASHINGTON — The phrase is simple: “No Kings.”
For more than a year, demonstrators across the United States have marched under that banner to protest President Donald Trump and what organizers describe as abuses of executive power.
Now the movement is preparing for another nationwide day of action Oct. 17, this time with an emphasis on early voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Organizers say the events are intended to reinforce the principle that political power belongs to voters rather than any president, political party or wealthy interest. No Kings
But the movement also raises a question worth examining beyond the slogans:
When Americans say “No Kings,” are they objecting to excessive presidential power itself — or primarily to the president exercising it?
That distinction matters.
Critics of the movement point to policies imposed under previous Democratic administrations, particularly former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and ask why those exercises of federal power did not produce comparable protests from many of the organizations now mobilizing against Trump.
The comparison circulating on social media frequently points to two politically divisive policies: the Affordable Care Act under Obama and COVID-19 vaccination requirements during Biden’s presidency.
But the meme version leaves out important distinctions.
Obama did not simply order Americans to purchase health insurance on his own authority. The Affordable Care Act was legislation passed by Congress and signed into law in 2010. Its individual mandate originally required many Americans to maintain qualifying health coverage or potentially make a payment through their federal taxes. Congress reduced that federal penalty to zero beginning in 2019.
Biden’s COVID-19 policies were different.
His administration attempted to require workers at large employers to either receive COVID-19 vaccinations or undergo regular testing and wear masks. The Supreme Court blocked that Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule in January 2022, concluding that OSHA had exceeded the authority Congress had given the agency.
The Supreme Court separately allowed the administration’s vaccination requirement for workers at health care facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid to take effect.
Those cases demonstrated precisely why limits on executive authority matter regardless of which political party controls the presidency: Presidents operate within powers granted by the Constitution and laws enacted by Congress, and courts can determine when an administration exceeds them.
Today’s No Kings organizers say that principle is exactly what motivates their movement.
The coalition describes itself as nonpartisan and says its events are committed to nonviolence. Its website says, “No one person, no institution, and no political party gets to decide our future, before voters do.” No Kings
The movement, however, emerged specifically in opposition to Trump and his second administration. Major participating organizations have included progressive, labor and civil-rights groups such as Indivisible, MoveOn, Public Citizen, the American Federation of Teachers and Black Voters Matter Fund. AOL.com
Previous No Kings demonstrations have drawn enormous crowds. The Washington Post reported that the October 2025 demonstrations included events at roughly 2,600 locations nationwide, with protesters objecting to issues including Trump’s immigration enforcement, deployment of federal forces and actions against political opponents. The Washington Post
The next event is shifting some of that energy from protest to the ballot box.
Organizers are encouraging Americans to vote early and become involved in the midterm elections. The group’s website says the Oct. 17 events are intended to turn more than a year of demonstrations into voter participation. No Kings
That is part of the American system, too.
Citizens have a First Amendment right to peacefully protest a president they oppose. They also have every right to organize, campaign and vote against that president’s political allies.
But consistency remains a legitimate subject for public debate.
If concentrated executive power is dangerous under Trump, Americans can reasonably ask what limits should apply when a Democrat occupies the Oval Office.
If executive orders deserve heightened scrutiny today, the same constitutional standard should apply to the next president.
And if Americans genuinely believe there should be “No Kings,” that principle cannot depend entirely upon whether the person sitting behind the Resolute Desk has an R or a D beside his or her name.
Presidents change.
Constitutional principles should not.
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