The pervasive talking point of the Left since President Trump returned to office is that he is trying to make himself into a “dictator.”  Starting in the early weeks of his new term, the main evidence for the “dictator” claim was said to be Trump’s actions to make the government respond to his policies, via actions like large-scale lay-offs, issuance of Executive Orders, and cancellation of grants and contracts.  (Here for example is a piece from the Guardian from February 13, complaining of what they called Trump’s “illegitimate power grab” by, among other things, cancelling grants and downsizing agencies from USAID to the CFPB.  See also, numerous comments on this site from frequent commenter Richard Greene.)

And now, in recent weeks, the “dictator” rhetoric has ramped up to a new level, specifically in response to Trump’s assertive enforcement of the immigration laws.  The new claim is that Trump is trying to make himself the “King.”  Culminating the week of anti-ICE riots centered in Los Angeles, we now will have tomorrow (Saturday June 14) a nationwide mobilization using the branding “No Kings.”  Here is their website.  According to the AP, there will be in the range of 2,000 demonstrations, at least one in most every significant city around the country.

“No Kings” helpfully provides us with a list of its “Partners” —  some 209 of them by my count.  It’s a who’s who of institutions of the Left.  A few examples include the ACLU, “Bernie,” League of Conservation Voters, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, the Public Interest Research Group; labor unions like the Communications Workers of America and SEIU; environmental/climate activist groups like 350.org, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club; and so on and on.  No Kings does not specify what level of support a group must provide to become a “partner, “ but a good bet would be that there is substantial funding involved.

Data Republican has already produced an extensive spreadsheet of federal money that flows, directly or indirectly, to the groups listed as the No Kings Partners.  The total federal funding flowing through to these groups far exceeds a billion dollars, although perhaps not all within one year.