Podcast Summary: Next Comes What

Episode: What 'No Kings' protesters get (but pundits don't)
Host: Andrea Pitzer
Date: April 3, 2026

Episode Overview

In this powerful episode, Andrea Pitzer explores the explosive growth and nuanced significance of the "No Kings" protest movement that erupted across the United States and internationally, in direct response to President Trump's escalating authoritarianism. Through a mix of reporting, expert interviews, and her own analysis, Pitzer challenges prevailing mainstream pundit skepticism of mass protest, arguing that these demonstrations are vital tools in forging and defending democracy—especially as institutional guardrails are eroded. The episode draws lessons from past global struggles with strongmen and considers how dissent can meaningfully shape America’s next chapter.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Historic Size and Scope of the "No Kings" Protests

• Scale: Over 8 million Americans participated, making it the largest single protest day in U.S. history ([01:39]).
  • “National attendance at thousands of events in the US had already exceeded 8 million people, making it the largest single day of protest in American history.” — Andrea Pitzer [01:39]
• Geographic spread: Protests took place across all seven continents, with large and small gatherings in over 3,300 U.S. cities and even remote towns like Oqiagvik, Alaska, and Thomas, West Virginia ([02:44]).
• Character: Mostly peaceful, with violence mainly instigated by police interventions, notably in Los Angeles where some protesters were arrested ([03:41]).

2. Motivations Behind the Protests

• Multiple Key Issues:
  • Immigration enforcement (76% cited as primary motivator) ([04:21])
  • Opposition to Trump (75%)
  • The war on Iran (73%)
  • Support for civil disobedience: 98% support organizations engaging in it; 79% support more confrontational action ([04:56], [05:01])
  • Personal Engagement: 69% willing to take future action ([05:17])
• Demographics: 96% identified as politically left, but with varied degrees of alignment ([05:35]).

3. Evolution of Protest Tactics

• Beyond Marching: Not only symbolic demonstration, but increased engagement in contacting officials, town halls, boycotts, direct action, and targeted buying ([06:41]).
  • “A greater than 10% increase in demonstrators who report either contacting an elected official, attending a town hall...or boycotting, or deliberately buying something for political, ethical or environmental reasons.” — Andrea Pitzer [06:41]
• Movement Maturity: Protest as just one layer in broader resistance—building alternative institutions, consumer boycotts, and targeted interventions ([07:21]-[07:35]).

4. Criticisms and Pundit Skepticism

• Mainstream dismissal: Weekend pundits and Democratic strategists challenge the protests’ impact, calling it “a big emotional release” or “group therapy” ([09:08]-[09:14]).
  • Quote: “Anyone participating...isn’t accomplishing anything, except maybe feeling validated. Perhaps they worried that anti-Trump sentiment was at the heart of it all.” — Andrea Pitzer [08:55]
• Counterpoint: Pitzer and guests argue protests are foundational, not merely expressive, drawing on global historical lessons ([10:05]).

5. The Dual Pillars of Democratic Survival

• Two Key Factors: Drawing from history, Pitzer highlights:
  1. A partially independent judiciary
  2. The public's ability to dissent openly
• Judicial Role: Lower courts, despite threats and a compromised Supreme Court, have acted to block or slow Trump policies and establish accountability ([12:14]-[13:44]).
  • “Our lower courts have been creating one such base of institutional legitimacy for a post-Trump era.” — Andrea Pitzer [12:59]
• Civic Resistance: Mass, visible opposition inhibits authoritarian consolidation ([18:29]).
  • “Authoritarianism can't fully consolidate when there are open and visible sides of opposition like mass protests.” — Professor Dana Fisher [18:29]

6. Protests as Power-Building, Not Performance

• Historical Context: Today’s protest movement is the inheritor of abolition, civil rights, farmworker, and more recent activism traditions ([15:09]).
• Necessary Ritual: Mass demonstration is a “single part of building movement infrastructure. It’s not just spectacle or performance for its own sake.” — Ashley Woodard Henderson [15:01]
• Community & Solidarity: Protesting counters atomization and loneliness, building new democratic “fabric” and local resilience ([19:26], [26:23]).
• No Single Leader or Demand: Movement is intentionally diffuse, refusing a singular figure or policy platform—its strength is in collective, distributed resistance ([19:26]).

7. Dissent’s Measurable Political Impact

• Effect on Politics: Research cited shows that single days of massive protest are correlated with increased electoral turnout, civic engagement, and candidate recruitment ([21:31], [21:52]).
• Influencing Democrats: Activist pressure forced policy responses (e.g., DHS shutdown), but party leadership is criticized for slow adaptation and a fixation on conciliating reactionary voters ([21:21]-[23:16]).
  • “Democratic willingness to reach across the aisle and make concessions to counterparts who embrace cruelty...ends up being a movement toward...white reconciliation.” — Andrea Pitzer [22:07]

8. The Danger of "White Reconciliation"

• Critique of Centrism: Pitzer, referencing Chad Stanton, condemns attempts to win back reactionary white voters at the expense of pluralistic democracy ([22:07]-[23:35]).
• Lesson from History: U.S. returns to authoritarian drift when it prioritizes exclusion and neglects marginalized communities ([24:17]).

9. Sustained Civic Engagement & Next Steps

• Movement’s Future: The episode closes with a focus on sustaining engagement—organizers call for ongoing activism, not just one-day mobilization ([27:20], [28:29]).
• Resources: Groups like Indivisible and Democracy Defenders provide training and next steps; local action is championed just as much as national ([27:55]-[28:19]).
• "Everywhere" Resistance: Listeners are encouraged to invent new forms of participation, meeting local needs as profound forms of resistance ([28:44]-[29:23]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On protest’s significance:
  • “Can you build a sustained anti-authoritarian campaign without mass demonstration? I think we can say unequivocally the answer is no.” — Ashley Woodard Henderson [14:41]
• On mass resistance:
  • “Large scale shows of discontent and resistance are very important during backsliding episodes.” — Professor Dana Fisher [17:58]
• On the need for community:
  • “So many lives have become atomized, isolated and lonely. Protesting is an antidote for all that and is also how you pull in people to understand they have a role.” — Andrea Pitzer [26:23]
• On the work left to do:
  • “The no Kings movement is a bottom up force that is creating pressure for a different kind of politics, and that is bound to be messy and take some time to sort out. But the protesters understand the assignment.” — Andrea Pitzer [19:26]
• On practical action:
  • “Rejecting Trump and his servants can fuse with the depth of our care for one another, for everyone. As we change our communities, the two together provide a blueprint for change in which accountability is to the people as a whole.” — Andrea Pitzer [30:07]

Key Timestamps:

• 01:39 — Landmark protest attendance
• 04:21–05:17 — Motivations & civil disobedience data
• 06:41–07:35 — Protestors expand tactics
• 09:08–10:05 — Punditry vs. grassroots insight
• 12:14–13:44 — The judiciary’s front-line resistance
• 14:41–15:09 — Activism as a nonnegotiable part of movement-building
• 18:29–19:26 — Mass protests as check on authoritarianism
• 21:31–21:52 — Protests’ impact on elections
• 22:07–23:35 — Critique of Democratic ‘reconciliation’
• 27:20–28:29 — Organizing for ongoing engagement

Conclusion

Andrea Pitzer’s episode makes a compelling, historically informed case for the necessity and power of the No Kings protest movement. Rather than chasing pundit-approved “solutions” or relying solely on flawed institutions, the episode spotlights the true engine of democratic resilience: millions of ordinary people, building networks of solidarity, resisting cruelty, and shaping their own future through visible, sustained dissent—no matter how messy or decentralized it may be.

If you’re looking for next steps, connect with Indivisible or Democracy Defenders for training, or invent your own mode of local resistance. As Dan says:

“That bigger is not about a single day. It is about getting people into ongoing, sustained civic engagement everywhere in the country.” [28:29]