Golfing legend Phil Mickelson took aim at Saturday’s nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations with a social media post that turned the protesters’ message against former President Joe Biden.
“On this special day as we all gather to fight against blanket auto pen pardons and executive orders, lawlessness, and stealing citizen’s resources for illegal non citizens, I believe it has worked!! That is no longer happening so great job everyone,” the six-time major champion wrote on X.
On this special day as we all gather to fight against blanket auto pen pardons and executive orders, lawlessness, and stealing citizen’s resources for illegal non citizens, I believe it has worked!! That is no longer happening so great job everyone 👏👏👏
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) October 18, 2025
The LIV Golf star’s post came as organizers claimed nearly 7 million Americans participated in more than 2,700 rallies across the United States. Demonstrations stretched from major cities to small rural towns, with small groups of protesters gathering in New York’s Times Square, Washington’s National Mall, Chicago’s Grant Park, and hundreds of other locations.
House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the gatherings as “Hate America” rallies before they began. On Friday, he predicted protesters would include “the Marxists, the socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists, and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party.”
“That’s where they’ve gone, and the hate America rally is the common theme among all those groups,” Johnson said. “Many of them don’t like living in America. They hate capitalism. They hate our free enterprise system.”
Thankfully, the protests remained largely peaceful. New York police reported just 100,000 participants across the city’s five boroughs with no protest-related arrests. Chicago police also confirmed no arrests at their demonstration.
Protesters carried signs reading “No Kings, No Tyrants” and “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting.” Many wore yellow clothing, which organizers said symbolized unity. Some participants dressed in inflatable frog, cat, and dinosaur costumes.
President Donald Trump responded to the demonstrations with AI-generated social media videos depicting himself as a monarch wearing a crown. In one post, he appeared to pilot a jet labeled “KING TRUMP” dropping feces on protesters below.
“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said.
Lol 😆 Trump posts AI generated video of feces- dumping Jet mocking " NO Kings " protests nationwide 😂😂, great trolling 🤣. pic.twitter.com/2Ye65Q0eEv
— marinamillern (@Marmi4U) October 19, 2025
Johnson and other Republican leaders suggested Democrats were using the protests to appease their base during government shutdown negotiations. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was “more concerned [with] impressing the ‘Hate America’ rally crowd” than solving budget issues.
“The rumor is that they can’t end the shutdown beforehand, because a small but very violent and vocal group is the only one that’s happy about this,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer said.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin deployed the National Guard as a precautionary measure, warning that while Virginians have “a fundamental right to free speech and peaceful assembly,” there would be “zero tolerance” for property destruction, looting, or violence.
The demonstrations marked the second wave of “No Kings” protests this year. Organizers held a similar event in June that coincided with Trump’s birthday and a military parade in Washington celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary.
Senate Minority Leader Schumer urged people “who care about our democracy to march peacefully.” Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, defended the protests as an exercise of First Amendment rights.
“What’s hateful is what happened on January 6. That was a hate-America rally, sponsored by Donald Trump and his sycophants who incited a violent mob to storm the Capitol,” Jeffries said. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like.”
Mickelson, a longtime Trump supporter, contrasted the “No Kings” gatherings with recent memorials for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was murdered by a leftist at an event in Utah last month.
“With all these people no one is lying in streets blocking traffic, no violence, no fires or looting,” Mickelson wrote about the Kirk memorial. “Just a peaceful gathering to honor a special man.”