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Good afternoon, Press Pass readers. The government shutdown is entering its third week, and no progress has yet been made to resolve it. It’s still about twenty days away from the record set during the first Trump term, when The Bulwark was first being launched. Our capabilities have grown a lot since then: This time around, we are working to get you the latest developments on everything happening in the Capitol and even outside the building (read more on that below). Upgrade your subscription to Bulwark+ membership, and don’t miss any of our coverage:
Today’s edition examines the ways in which Republican lawmakers have been attempting to smear the upcoming “No Kings” nationwide protests as “Hate America” rallies. The reality is that the organizers have a documented history of peaceful demonstrations and extensive de-escalation training and safety protocols. The hostile framing is one tool lawmakers are using to shape the public narrative about the ongoing government shutdown fight.
In addition, have you noticed how expensive coffee is getting lately? As with most things you can buy, coffee is getting hit with hefty import taxes as a result of the Trump administration’s haphazard trade policy. Some lawmakers are looking to solve the problem. I and every other caffeine-riddled American wish them the best of luck. All that and more, below.
‘No Kings’ Has Republicans in Disarray
Why GOP lawmakers are spreading fear about the upcoming rally.
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The upcoming anti-authoritarian “No Kings”¹ rally, which is scheduled to take place across the country on Saturday, including on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, has set off klaxons for Republican lawmakers, who are scrambling to mount a preemptive defense. While many GOP lawmakers are describing No Kings as an astroturfed political operation meant to benefit Democrats in the continuing government funding fight, some in party leadership are going further by branding it a pro-terrorism demonstration—an unambiguously false allegation meant, clearly, to get ahead of a potentially massive protest against the president.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said in a press conference last week, “This is about one thing and one thing only: To score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold—as Leader [Steve] Scalise just commented on—a ‘hate America’ rally in D.C. next week.”
In a Fox Business interview Tuesday morning, Emmer repeated the claim that the rally is anti-American, telling host Maria Bartiromo, “These guys are playing to the most radical, small, and violent base in the country. You’ll see them on Saturday on the Mall. They just do not love this country.”
But the most egregiously dishonest and inflammatory comments came from the top Republican in the House. “It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and, you know, the Antifa people,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News in an interview. “They’re all coming out. Some of the House Democrats are selling t-shirts for the event, and it’s being told to us that they won’t be able to reopen the government until after that rally because they can’t face their rabid base. I mean this is serious business hurting real people. . . . I’m beyond words.”
Not every Republican has gone to these extremes. Others have resorted to more typical varieties of political cynicism and rhetorical heavy-handedness. “If in fact they are waiting for this ‘No Kings’ protest, No Kings means no paychecks,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business on Monday. “No paychecks and no government.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made similar comments, saying that the rally’s organizers are giving more guidance to Senate Democrats than is Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Democrats want to wait for a big rally of a No Kings protest when the bottom line is: Who is running the show in the Senate?” Duffy said. “Chuck Schumer’s not running the show. The No Kings protesters or organizers are running the show.”
The idea that Democrats are waiting to cave on a deal to reopen the government until after the D.C. rally could perhaps make sense if you adopt a squintingly cynical view of politics. Senate Democrats I’ve heard from said that’s nonsense and reiterated that any deal is contingent on health policy concessions combined with good-faith negotiation.
They’ve also chastised Johnson and Emmer for accusing No Kings and its organizers of being anti-American and pro-terrorism. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was among those pushing back. He posted a video on Facebook rebuking Johnson. The event is “a ‘love America’ rally,” Sanders said, continuing: “It’s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”
Since the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Republicans have spent a great deal of time and energy arguing that Democrats and Democratic rhetoric are fueling political violence. No Kings provides a convenient and useful target for their narrativizing efforts: It’s shaping up to be a massive, high-visibility protest that could shut down parts of major cities. But for all the insinuations that the event’s organizers are oriented to violence, Indivisible, the organization sponsoring No Kings, has an extensive track record that shows a longstanding emphasis on safety and nonviolence.