In the leadup to the “No Kings” protests, Trump and Republicans widely derided the protesters as extremists, criminals, and terrorists. Then the protests actually happened. They were a wild success: Peaceful, enormous, and representative of a very wide swath of American society. So what did Republicans do in response? They just kept on calling the protesters criminals and terrorists. That MAGA smear is sharply contradicted by countless on-the-scene accounts. We talked to writer Ana Marie Cox, who has a great piece for The New Republic capturing what the protests looked like in a red county in Texas. She details what she saw, explaining that the protesters were mostly ordinary Americans who put on a civil and powerfully patriotic display. We think that in their own quiet way, what these protesters really offered, deep in Trump country, was a brutally effective repudiation of MAGA and Trumpism. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
PODCAST
Deep in Texas Trump Country, a “No Kings” Display Brutally Shames MAGA
A New Republic writer who covered a “No Kings” protest in MAGA congressman Chip Roy’s Texas district recounts what she saw—and explains why it amounted to a powerful repudiation of Trumpism.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
A man and woman hold a flag and protest sign amongst hundreds gathered for the No Kings Protest in Houston, Texas on Oct. 18, 2025 in Houston.
