The turnout and character of the weekend’s No Kings protests speaks for itself and in high volume. But I wanted to say something about the name and the direction of No Kings, which emerges as something between a protest and a protest movement. It is very fortunate for the country and for the anti-Trump opposition that he has emerged in the way that he has, by which I mean the name itself, a name and a slogan that deceptively resonates with the deepest possible roots in American history. This entails a critical inclusiveness, which arises from the name itself and the absence of those long series of specific demands that often characterize and ultimately fracture such movements.
I will say here a few elements that favorably distinguish No Kings from what we might call “traditional” liberal or left-wing protests. This includes some of those who featured prominently during the first Trump administration. But I am not denigrating them. It’s just that it’s a specific moment in history that requires a particularly large tent. Its purpose and specificity must be different.
