No Kings, No Queens, No Blind Loyalty

It was just six weeks ago that Democrats celebrated No Kings Day. At the time it seemed like a puerile demonstration of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Of course, there should be no kings in America, but no one in the MAGA movement was seriously arguing in favor of a despotic monarchy in the first place. Nor was blind loyalty to President Trump considered a requirement for those who want to Make America Great Again.

But since then, a number of things have happened which have put at risk the coalition which Trump built in 2015 and then pieced back together in 2024. And some of those things suggest that Trump didn’t get the message about no kings.

Everyone can make their own list, but here are a few of the most questionable moments in the Trump administration recently that suggest a royal lack of accountability:

• When meeting with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, who has been credibly accused of ordering the death of a Washington Post columnist, Trump said of the allegation, “Things happen.” That might be something Richard III would say after killing his nephews.
• Asked a question he didn’t like by a reporter, Trump threatened to remove ABC’s broadcast license. This followed another incident in which he called a woman reporter “piggy.” Retaliation against the media asking hard questions may not be strictly a royal trait, but every despot does it. This goes beyond Richard Nixon and his notorious “enemies list.”
• In responding to a video put out by six members of Congress advising members of the military that it is their duty to disobey illegal orders, Trump suggested the six should be charged with sedition – and reposted on social media calls that they be put to death. Whether you think the video was appropriate or not, we should all agree that executing your political enemies, which was the fate that befell Jamal Khashoggi, is not a democratic norm.

We all know that Trump lives in the margins of civility, and that has been part of his political charm – telling the elites where to go. But at some point even MAGA supporters like myself have to ask whether there are limits.