Dems’ ‘No Kings’ rhetoric backfires as critics lambaste ‘confusing’ reaction to actual king

Democratic lawmakers, who have frequently accused President Donald Trump of acting like a “king” upon his return to the White House, were brutally mocked on Tuesday for applauding and warmly greeting King Charles III during his joint address to Congress. 

“Quite the confusing scene on the House floor today. Many of Congressman Hamadeh’s Democratic colleagues, who have spent months chanting ‘No Kings,’ just gave one a standing ovation,” Arizona Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh’s office posted to X.

The “No Kings” protests began on Presidents Day in February 2025 as a backlash to the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency and broader efforts to shrink the federal government. The movement broke into the national spotlight in June of that year, when Trump’s military parade celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary gave demonstrators a new focal point for their claims that Trump was conducting himself more like a monarch than a president. 

Some Democratic lawmakers encouraged or joined the protests, with conservative social media commenters pointing out what they viewed as hypocrisy on Tuesday as Democrats applauded a king. 

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“I’m hearing no Democrats plan to attend King Charles’ speech because ‘No Kings.’ They’d never be gaslighters,” said Republican Florida Rep. Randy Fine posted to X. 

The official White House X account posted a photo of Trump with Charles seemingly trolling the left, captioning the pic, “TWO KINGS.”

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Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was seen smiling and snapping photos of Charles on Tuesday. She was among lawmakers who have joined the “No Kings” protests. 

“Minnesota showed up in huge numbers today and it was a delight to address the largest #nokings rally in the country,” she posted to Instagram in March, accompanied by footage of a “No Kings” protest. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s office for any comment on the matter. 

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Actor Tim Allen even weighed in, posting a photo of Charles in front of Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Ron Johnson, R-La., at the podium.

“Would have been funny to see the facial reactions of an actual King with a no Kings parade yelling at him,” said Allen.

One video went viral, with over 4 million views, showing top Democrats such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., standing up to applaud the king.

“NO KINGS! Am I doing it right, Democrats?” said conservative commentator Steve Guest on X.

“Seems kind of embarrassing for an actual King to get cheered by No Kings people,” wrote co-host of “The Big Money Show” Brian Brenberg.

The king and Queen Camilla will conclude their trip on Wednesday, returning to the UK.

Charles’ address to Congress was a historic moment. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was the first and only other British monarch to address a joint meeting of Congress when she did so in 1991.