Podcast Summary: "No Kings" Organizers Estimate 7 Million Protestors Against Trump

The Beat with Ari Melber (Guest Host: Melissa Murray) | October 21, 2025

Episode Overview

Guest-hosted by Melissa Murray in Ari Melber's absence, this episode reports on the unprecedented nationwide and global “No Kings” protests against Donald Trump and his administration. With nearly 7 million marchers worldwide, the movement signals massive public resistance to Trump’s controversial exercise of power, anti-democratic maneuvers, and threats to civil rights. The episode features interviews with legal experts and politicians, analysis of court rulings, exclusive clips from former Special Counsel Jack Smith, and in-depth conversation about Congressional dysfunction, the shutdown, and challenges to voting rights.

Main Topics & Key Segments

1. The “No Kings” Protest Movement

Timestamp: 01:03 – 03:30

• Massive Peaceful Demonstrations
  • Organizers report nearly 7 million people marched peacefully in cities and towns nationwide and worldwide.
  • Example: “The NYPD said over a hundred thousand people gathered in New York City alone without a single arrest.” — Melissa Murray [01:23]
  • Protesters used creative tactics (e.g., spelling out “no kings” with their bodies in San Francisco).
• Central Message: Resistance to authoritarianism and defense of constitutional governance.
• Vocal Public: Protesters, including veterans and grandmothers, insisted on constitutional principles, directly rejecting Trump’s claims of monarchical power.

Quote:

“No one paid me to be here. My rage is free and well deserved.” — Protester, read by Melissa Murray [01:57]

2. Response from Trump and Court Decisions

Timestamp: 02:32 – 06:38

• Trump’s Reaction

  • Trump dismisses protests as inconsequential, touts AI-generated videos depicting himself as a king, and claims unchecked presidential powers using the Insurrection Act.
  • “I was willing to die and lost a leg in a foreign country fighting for their rights. There's no way I'm bending the only knee I have left for a king here in America. By the way, I'm not a king.” — Trump [02:23]

• Court Intervention & Authoritarian Moves

  • Two Trump-appointed judges on the 9th Circuit authorize Trump to deploy the National Guard to Portland, counter to a lower court’s restraining order.
  • Legal context:

    “As a matter of law, that claim of unprecedented power is false.” — Melissa Murray [03:03]

• Expert Analysis

  • David Litt: Warns that Trump’s court-packing strategy is bearing fruit and that vigilance is necessary.
  • Molly Zhang Fast: Notes the administration’s messaging struggles in the face of peaceful, constitutional protests.

Memorable Moment:

“Even if you want to rule as a king, you still gotta get a buy-in from the people.” — David Litt [07:29]

3. AI, Messaging, and Resistance

Timestamp: 07:28 – 09:08

• Trump’s Use of AI:
  • Criticized for sharing surreal AI videos of himself cast as a king.
  • Molly Zhang Fast: Calls it “AI flailing” and highlights the administration’s desperation without protester violence to exploit.
  • Personal story: Molly attended a protest in Red Bank, NJ, describing it as more like a celebration than an insurrection.

Quote:

“After the January 6 protest, they stormed the Capitol. After the no Kings protest... we all got Italian ice.” — Molly Zhang Fast [08:38]

4. Congressional Inaction & Shutdown Drama

Timestamp: 09:22 – 28:55

• Congress Absent:

  • Rep. Mike Johnson keeps Congress on recess, delaying the swearing-in of Democrat Adelita Grijalva, a move linked to the continued withholding of the Epstein files.

• Election and Term Limits:

  • Trump floats the idea of staying in power indefinitely in AI-generated content, despite the 22nd Amendment.
  • Experts see this as testing the boundaries of public and legal resistance.

Quote:

“The limiting factor in the Trump administration is what can we get away with.” — David Litt [11:41]

• Brendan Boyle (Congressman, D-PA) Interview

  • Critiques the disenfranchisement of ¾ million Arizonans due to Grijalva’s delayed swearing-in.
  • Asserts that Speaker Johnson is acting at Trump’s behest to avoid releasing the Epstein files.
  • Highlights the anomaly: “Every time this year that a Republican has been elected in a special election, they have been sworn in, even if it was a pro forma session.” — Brendan Boyle [25:00]

• Shutdown Political Fallout:

  • Even Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is pushing for Congress to reconvene, indicating Republican discomfort with ongoing dysfunction.

Quote:

“People are generally against dysfunction.... They want to see their government work.” — Brendan Boyle [28:40]

5. Legal Warfare: Selective Prosecution & DOJ Integrity

Timestamp: 13:25 – 20:23

• Vindictive Prosecutions:
  • Trump’s DOJ faces accusations of selective, retaliatory prosecution against critics including James Comey, Letitia James, and John Bolton.
  • Maya Wiley explains the legal challenges and the abnormal nature of the DOJ’s actions, including firing and replacing US attorneys to secure desired indictments.

Quote:

“If there's ever been a strong case for vindictive prosecution, this is the case.” — Maya Wiley [15:34]

• Whistleblower Testimony:
  • Former DOJ lawyer Erez Ruvaney recounts being fired for refusing to falsify a brief, suggesting a pattern of abuse within Trump’s DOJ.

Quote:

“They did everything they did... in violation of his due process rights. What's to stop them if they decide they don't like you anymore?” — Erez Ruvaney [14:55]

6. Jack Smith Speaks Out: Rule of Law Under Threat

Timestamp: 31:04 – 37:25

• Jack Smith Exclusive Clips
  • For the first time, former Special Counsel Smith publicly condemns the administration’s attacks on the rule of law, warning of incalculable damage.
  • Emphasizes that “process shouldn’t be a political issue” [31:35] and encourages Americans to defend democracy in any way they can.
• Pardons as Defiance of Law:
  • Smith criticizes Trump’s mass pardons for January 6th rioters as an explicit betrayal of law enforcement.

Quote:

“If you pardon 1,500 people ... you are taking the side of criminals against police.” — Summary of Smith’s remarks by Will Saletan [35:45]

• Non-Partisanship
  • Smith aims to set a standard for all Americans—Democrats, independents, honest Republicans—to defend nonpartisan rule of law.

7. Voting Rights and Supreme Court Alignment with Administration

Timestamp: 38:00 – 44:39

• Voting Rights Act in Peril:
  • SCOTUS considers weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voting power.
  • Janae Nelson (NAACP LDF) argues the stakes could not be higher for multiracial democracy.

Quote:

“I think the results would be pretty catastrophic.” — Janae Nelson [39:12] on consequences of striking Section 2

• Coordinated Conservative Attacks:
  • Discussion highlights the synergy between the administration’s actions and the court’s rightward jurisprudence (e.g., rolling back affirmative action, targeting DEI efforts).
  • Justice Kavanaugh’s idea of a “shot clock” for civil rights is challenged as a legal invention without basis.
• Racial Double Standard:
  • Trump’s proposal to favor white refugees shapes a haunting contrast: “How considering race in the context of helping white refugees is okay, but... remedying a racial gerrymander is suddenly impermissible under the Voting Rights Act?” — Melissa Murray [43:39]

8. Closing: The Call to “No Kings” and Defending Democracy

Timestamp: 44:51 – End

• Governor J.B. Pritzker at “No Kings” Rally
  • Calls on Americans to resist tyranny with courage, not fear and silence.
  • Inspiring closer:

    “Democracy requires your courage. And tyranny depends on good people doing nothing. It requires us to accept the unacceptable ... but tyranny also fails when ordinary people refuse to cooperate, when they say ‘No Kings’ and they mean it.” — Gov. J.B. Pritzker [44:57–45:24]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "No one paid me to be here. My rage is free and well deserved." — Protester [01:57]
• "Even if you want to rule as a king, you still gotta get a buy-in from the people." — David Litt [07:29]
• "After the no Kings protest, I went to—we all got Italian ice... If we were terrorists, we were not very terrifying." — Molly Zhang Fast [08:38]
• "The limiting factor in the Trump administration is what can we get away with." — David Litt [11:41]
• "If there's ever been a strong case for vindictive prosecution, this is the case." — Maya Wiley [15:34]
• "People are generally against dysfunction. ... They want to see their government work." — Brendan Boyle [28:40]
• "Democracy requires your courage. And tyranny depends on good people doing nothing." — Gov. J.B. Pritzker [44:57–45:24]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:03 – 03:30: Overview and peaceful nature of “No Kings” protests
• 03:32 – 06:38: Trump’s reaction, court actions, and comment on growing authoritarianism
• 07:28 – 09:08: Impact and symbolism of AI-generated pro-Trump “king” videos
• 09:22 – 28:55: Congressional recess, shutdown details, and Rep. Boyle interview on procedural obstruction and voter disenfranchisement
• 13:25 – 20:23: DOJ’s selective prosecution and integrity crisis
• 31:04 – 37:25: Jack Smith exclusive footage and analysis of attacks on rule of law
• 38:00 – 44:39: Supreme Court, voting rights arguments, and the racial double standard
• 44:51 – end: Closing inspiration at the “No Kings” rallies

Summary Conclusion

This episode offers a sweeping survey of the mounting resistance to Donald Trump’s anti-democratic maneuvers, highlighting the mass mobilization for liberty and the Constitution. With sharp legal insights and voices from both advocacy and Congress, the “No Kings” protests are cast as a turning point—an emphatic reminder that the defense of democracy lies with the people as much as with the courts or Congress. The show ends with a stirring call to action for courage, solidarity, and vigilance—echoing the protest’s slogan and spirit: “No Kings.”