Nearly 7 million people filled the streets of our country on October 25th with signs, speeches, marching bands, and morale. The No Kings Day Rallies of 2025 raised questions on the rule of law, stability of our democracy, and the overreach of the Trump administration. However, not all believed in the effectiveness of the rallies, and many feared the destruction they would bring. 

While members of the democratic party aimed for peaceful protest that would raise awareness and spark change in the current government, many members of MAGA and of the republican party foresaw these rallies as anti-patriotic and anarchic. 

 Mike Johnson, the republican house speaker referred to the rally as the “Hate America Rally” and said that the “Antifa advocates, the anarchists, and the pro Hamas wing of the far left party” will be brought together.

On the contrary, members of the democratic party viewed it as a means to preserve democracy and the values our country was founded on. 

“Standing up to a wannabe dictator: that is patriotism. Peaceful protesting to protect our democracy: that is patriotism!” said Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Some republicans predicted that many attending the rallies would be terrorists and extremists that would cause mayhem in the streets.

Governor of Texas, Greg Abbot, sent  in the national guard to Austin, Texas.

He said,  “Violence and destruction will never be tolerated in Texas.”  

To his and many of the republican party’s surprise, the protests were peaceful. The Austin police department even reported not having a single arrest in the rally.

The issues sparking these rallies included an overreach of government control and authoritarianism, the denial of constitutional rights, anti-immigration policies, and recent events such as the deployment of the national guard and unjust treatment of immigrants along with ICE raids.

Thus far, no bills have been passed regarding issues fought for in the rallies.

Concomitantly, these rallies were not anarchic. Terrorists and extremists did not flood the streets causing violence and destruction. 

The rallies were actually viewed as some of the most peaceful, large-scale protests in U.S. history.

Especially so, when taking into account previous protests, such as those for the liberal BLM movement in the spring and summer of 2020 and the conservative attack on the capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Reactions were positive to the conservative attack on the capitol by members of the republican party. Trump and other major figures in the republican party have advocated for violence in means of political discourse.

Trump told the crowd before the storming of the capitol to “fight like hell” and later called those arrested for crimes and violence in the protest “patriots” and “hostages.”

While some, like Trump, motivated the violence, other members praised the protesters and downplayed the violence evident in the event.

Representative Andrew Clyde said, “Let me be clear: There was no insurrection. And to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bold-faced lie.”

He also later stated that in the video it seemed like a “normal tourist visit.”

Videos of the destruction and violence of the capitol completely disagree with this statement. 

So, why this anarchy was “legitimate political discourse” and the peaceful No Kings Rallies were unpatriotic and dangerous, is something for citizens and political leaders alike to seriously consider. 

Overall, the reactions to the No Kings Day rallies differed greatly, once again reflecting the political polarization evident in these rallies and recent politics.

Democratic leaders praised the protests for their peacefulness and efficiency. 

Representative Adam Schiff said, “We are really grateful to the millions of people that are going to be turning out across the country today to make their voices heard. It’s those kinds of individual acts of protest and courage that are gonna make the difference and that are going to save our democracy.”

Conversely, Republican leaders and MAGA supporters responded with satire and criticism. President Donald Trump called the rallies “very small, very ineffective.”

He also responds with an AI video of himself in a jet, dropping feces over the rallies, and mocking the protesters.

Reactions such as these spark more anti-Trump sentiment in opponents across the country. 

Similarly, a republican spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, when asked of her opinion on the rallies, simply said “Who cares?”

Hypocrisy was found in many republican’s reactions– first calling the rallies dangerous and violent, and then criticizing them for their peacefulness and “ineffectiveness.” 

On the other hand, members of the democratic party remain proud and hopeful for change. 

These rallies questioned growing authoritarian power in our government, yet also revealed the increased political polarization in our society. 

They ultimately highlighted the growing divide in our country that has caused so much tension that some members of a party have fallen into hypocrisy and insolence in order to put down the other. 

These rallies were not based on hate nor were they unpatriotic. However, the reactions to them which encompassed promotion of hate for the other party were inherently unpatriotic. 

Americans should not let their voices get silenced or try to silence that of another. 

Engage in peaceful protest, fight for your rights.