"I'm not a king," Trump says ahead of nationwide No Kings protests
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President Trump during the signing of the "Trump Gold Card." Photo: Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images.
President Trump told Fox Business he's "not a king" ahead of nationwide No Kings protests planned for Saturday while insisting the ongoing government shutdown gives him power to unilaterally cut federal programs.
Why it matters: Top Republicans have repeatedly called the protests "hate America" rallies, although organizers say the event is simply an opportunity for Americans to display their discontent with the Trump administration.
What they're saying: "They're referring to me as a king. I'm not a king," Trump told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo in an interview clip released Friday.
- Trump added that Democrats could stay out of the government "forever," so that the president could continue cutting "Democrat" priorities, such as welfare programs.
- "They made one mistake, they didn't realize that. That gives me the right to cut programs that Republicans never wanted. We're doing that, and we're cutting them permanently."
- Article I of the Constitution gives Congress — not the president — the power to set government spending priorities.
Driving the news: Over 2,500 No Kings events are planned across all 50 states this Saturday, sponsored by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers, 50501, Human Rights Campaign, Indivisible and MoveOn.
Friction point: Top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have preemptively dismissed the protests as a "hate America" rally run by "antifa."
- "Not a single person is going to be standing in their way of their right to exercise, assemble and protest peacefully," Johnson said Friday.
- "That alone is a profound testament to the strength of our republic, to the beauty of America. They're decrying the country that allows them to engage in this activity."
The other side: "Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down," No Kings organizers previously told Axios' April Rubin.
- "Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he's attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings."
Flashback: Trump — who, himself, said he would be a "dictator" only on "day 1" if reelected — denied acting like a dictator earlier this year when he sent National Guard troops into blue cities without the consent of the local governments.
- "I don't like a dictator. I'm not a dictator. I'm a man with great common sense and a smart person," he said.
- The official White House X account was heavily criticized in February for posting a fake photo of the president on a parody cover of Time magazine wearing a crown with the phrase "LONG LIVE THE KING!"
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