The White House on Tuesday released a photograph of President Donald Trump alongside King Charles III, captioning it “two Kings” — a pointed retort to the growing “No Kings” protest movement that has dogged the administration. The image, posted during the British monarch’s visit to the United States, drew immediate backlash from critics who argue the president is consolidating power in ways that echo monarchical rule.
The “No Kings” slogan has become a rallying cry for opponents of Trump, who accuse him of expanding executive authority and undermining democratic norms. In a Sunday interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Trump forcefully rejected the label. “I’m not a King,” he told Norah O’Donnell. “If I was a King, I wouldn’t be dealing with you.”
The president has previously linked the “No Kings” protests to political violence. He blamed the Saturday shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on what he described as an atmosphere of incitement created by the demonstrations. The suspect in that attack is reported to have attended a “No Kings” protest in California and posted anti-Trump and anti-Christian content online, according to law enforcement sources.
Trump has long bristled at comparisons to royalty. In a June 2024 appearance, he said, “I don’t feel like a king; I have to go through hell to get stuff approved.” He added that a king “would say, ‘I’m not going to get this.’ A king would have never had the California mandate to even be talking, he wouldn’t have to call up Mike Johnson and John Thune and say, ‘fellas you got to pull this off’ and after years we get it done.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats for fueling the political violence, telling reporters at Monday’s briefing, “This political violence stems from a systemic demonization of him and his supporters by commentators, by elected members of the Democrat party and even some in the media.” She charged that “hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump day after day after day for 11 years has helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment.”
Democrats have consistently described Trump as a fascist and a king throughout the 2024 campaign and his first two years in office. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) rejected Leavitt’s characterization. “She had the nerve to stand up there and read talking points being critical of statements all taken out of context that Democrats have made and didn’t have a word to say about anything that MAGA extremists have said or done, including providing aid and comfort to violent insurrectionists here at this capital on Jan. 6th who brutally beat police officers,” Jeffries said Monday.
The White House’s “two Kings” post comes amid a broader cultural and political clash over Trump’s leadership style. The GOP has mocked Democrats for cheering King Charles after using “No Kings” slogans, highlighting the irony of welcoming a hereditary monarch while denouncing Trump. Meanwhile, King Charles himself urged the U.S. Congress to defend the transatlantic alliance during his visit, a message that landed awkwardly amid the domestic political firestorm.
The shooting at the WHCA dinner has intensified the debate over political rhetoric. Some commentators have urged a cooling of language, but others, like radio host Charlamagne, have rejected calls to soften criticism of Trump, arguing that accountability matters more than tone.
