ASRA NOMANI: The familiar hidden hand behind today’s #NoKings protests

Yesterday, arsenic protesters readied to descend connected metropolis squares crossed America for a mass objection branded #NoKings, California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis took to MSNBC, praising the question arsenic a righteous basal for democracy. 

"People are precise determined to get retired determination and beryllium seen. This is the United States. We bash not privation a king," she said.

ASRA NOMANI: THE $2.1 BILLION MACHINE BEHIND THE ‘SPONTANEOUS’ ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTS

What she didn’t say: The California Democratic Party is itself organizing today’s protests — from Orange County to Oakland — with the afloat organization value of the Democratic machine, and the Democratic National Committee is playing a captious relation down the scenes successful protests crossed the state from California to Florida.

Already, I established successful analysis for the Pearl Project, a nonprofit journalism initiative, that the protests are organized by 197 organizations aligned with the Democratic Party. This web harnesses a instrumentality of astir $2.1 cardinal successful full yearly revenues toward this cause. That effort unsocial represents a partisan governmental endeavor that I telephone the protestation concern complex.

Thousands of radical crossed are expected to rally successful hundreds of cities crossed America connected Saturday to protestation the Trump medication and antagonistic the president’s subject parade successful Washington DC to people the Army’s 250th birthday. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images.)

Now, successful a caller investigation of 148 protestation listings uploaded connected Mobilize.us, a Democratic Party organizing platform, I person established that astatine slightest 70 Democratic National Committee affiliates are besides organizing protests successful astatine slightest 21 states and the District of Columbia. This is simply a wide indicator of the partisanship of these protests arsenic an orchestrated, calculated look of the absorption party, not a spontaneous grassroots outpouring. 

Despite the rhetoric of populist uprising, it’s clear: #NoKings is the Democratic Party staging governmental theatre successful the streets of America.

As editor-in-chief of the Pearl Project, I person spent the past week gathering this database of the protestation organizers and the findings exposure the existent architecture of today’s "day of defiance." From Mobilize links and protestation pages to organizing toolkits, we traced the integer and carnal infrastructure down the June 14 demonstrations. 

I’ve added a tab with the Democratic Party events successful a public spreadsheet that I invitation readers to study.

Demonstrators clasp assorted signs including "The Power of the People" and "No Kings No Royalty" astatine a pro-democracy rally successful Hancock Adams Common connected April 19, 2025. The protest, marking the 250th day of the battles of Lexington and Concord, draws parallels betwixt Revolutionary War-era absorption and modern governmental concerns. (Photo by Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Here’s what I recovered astir the manus of the Democratic Party:

• At slightest 70 unsocial Democratic Party committees and clubs are organizing astatine slightest 140 protestation events crossed the state successful astatine slightest 21 states and the District of Columbia.
• Democratic Party clubs are besides organizing protests successful astatine slightest 4 countries overseas: Australia, Italy, Mexico and Norway, with groups similar "Democrats Abroad Norway."

It’s important to recognize: the Democrat Party isn’t conscionable supporting these protests — they’re starring them, often nether the radar. 

Here’s conscionable a glimpse of the geographic footprint of Democratic National Committee nine and committee activity. It’s dense but I stock it truthful you tin cognize we person the receipts:

1. Arizona: Apache Junction: Pinal County Democratic Party; Flagstaff: Coconino County Democratic Party and Indivisible Northern AZ; Show Low: Navajo County Democratic Party; Window Rock: Apache County Democratic Party.
2. California: Auburn: Auburn Area Democrats; Bakersfield: California Democratic Party; Big Bear Lake: Democratic Club of Big Bear Valley; Chico: Butte County Democratic Party Central Committee; Chino Hills: California Democratic Party; Dana Point: Democratic Party of Orange County, Democratic Women of South Orange County; East Bay: Alameda County Dems, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club; Huntington Beach; Joshua Tree: Democrats of the Morongo Basin; Laguna Beach: Laguna Beach Democratic Club; Los Angeles County: Swing Left; Marysville: Yuba Dems; Newport Beach: Newport Beach Women’s Democratic Club; Oakland: ; Rancho Cordova: America River Democrats Club; Redlands: Redlands Area Democratic Club; Riverside: Democrats of Greater Riverside; San Francisco: San Francisco Democratic Party; San Jose: California Democratic Party; San Rafael: California Democratic Party; Santa Clara: Santa Clara County Democratic Party; Seal Beach: Democratic Club of Seal Beach, Seal Beach Leisure World Democratic Club; Sebastopol; Sunnyvale: Sunnyvale Democratic Club; Tehachapi: California Democratic Party; Victorville:High Desert Progressive Democrats.
3. District of Columbia: DC Ward 8 Democrats
4. Florida: Casselberry: Seminole County Democratic Party; Englewood: Sarasota County Democratic Party; Fort Walton Beach: Okaloosa Democrats; Ft Lauderdale: Broward Democratic Party; Gainesville: Alachua County Democratic Party; Naples: Collier County DEC; Palm Beach Gardens: Palm Beach County Democratic Party; Pensacola: Escambia Democratic Party; Sarasota: Sarasota County Democratic Party; Tallahassee; Venice: Sarasota County Democratic Party.
5. Georgia: Atlanta: DeKalb County Democrats; Brunswick: Democratic Party of Georgia; Dalton: Douglasville: Volunteer organized for Democratic Party of Georgia; Griffin; Hiawassee: Towns County Democrats; Hiram: Paulding Democrats; Rome: Democratic Party of Georgia
6. Illinois: DeKalb: DeKalb County Democratic Party IL; Princeton: Bureau County Democratic Party.
7. Indiana: Auburn: Indiana DeKalb County Democratic Party; Connersville: Indiana Fayette County Democratic Party; Nashville: Indiana 9th District Democratic Party; New Albany: Indiana Floyd County Democratic Party.
8. Maryland: Easton: Talbot Democrats.
9. Michigan: Lansing: Ingham County Democratic Party.
10. Nebraska: Alliance, Columbus, Kearney, Scottsbluff: Nebraska Democratic Party:
11. New Hampshire: Enfield: New Hampshire Democratic Party.
12. New York: New York City: Manhattan Young Democrats.
13. North Carolina: Asheboro: Randolph County Democratic Party; Edenton: North Carolina Democratic Party.
14. Oklahoma: OKDems, Oklahoma Democratic Party, Federation of Oklahoma Latin Democrats.
15. Ohio: Dayton: Green County Ohio Democratic Party; Warren: Trumbull County Democratic Party.
16. South Carolina: Bluffton, Hilton Head Island: Beaufort County Democratic Party.
17. South Dakota: Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Spearfish, Yankton: South Dakota Democratic Party.
18. Tennessee: Knoxville: KnoxDems, Knox County Democratic Party.
19. Texas: McKinney: Collin County Democratic Party; San Antonio: Comal County Democratic Party.
20. Wisconsin: Platteville: WisDems.

What does this database archer us? This is simply a enactment infrastructure, not a protestation movement. Let’s beryllium honest: this isn’t astir stopping a "king." It’s astir protecting a governmental party.

Across the country, Democratic Party chapters person flooded section organizing channels with authoritative flyers, h2o bottles branded with region logos, talking points and coordinated slogans. In Santa Monica, Calif., the section Democratic Club is marching on the boardwalk. 

In Flagstaff, Ariz., the Coconino County Democratic Party is rallying connected the steps of metropolis hall. In Naples, Florida, the Collier County Democratic Executive Committee is mobilizing volunteers with signage pre-approved by nationalist governmental enactment committees.

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In Seminole County, Fla., the advertizing is astir governmental canvassing with these details for volunteers: "Signs volition beryllium provided to spot adjacent to the cooler that accidental ‘Free Water from SemDems.’ Consider bringing trash bags to necktie to the grip of the cooler to cod utilized bottles. Email deb4elections@gmail.com if you tin bring a cooler with water. Passing retired SemDems cards. Stand astatine protestation country introduction points and marque definite radical person a SemDem paper truthful they tin link with us. Passing Out Protest Signs. Hand retired signs for radical to question if they didn't bring one. Help radical marque a motion utilizing SemDems supplies. In this role, you volition beryllium excessively engaged to enactment successful the protestation astatine the street."

Protestors began gathering connected the steps of Los Angeles City Hall aboriginal Tuesday day aft 3 days of anti-ICE riots successful the city. (Peter D'Abrosca for Fox News Digital)

In total, we tracked scores of unsocial combinations of authorities and club, proving that aggregate organizations — including groups similar Swing Left and Indivisible — are operating crossed respective states with the Democratic Party, deploying scripts, signs, and staff.

Here is what you won’t perceive connected astir of the media’s coverage:

• In  Apache Junction, Ariz., the Pinal County Democratic Party is collaborating with section Indivisible chapters for a branded "No Kings" march, implicit with printed materials calling Trump a "tyrant."
• In Oakland, Calif., the East Bay Democratic Party and Indivisible East Bay are co-hosting a rally wherever participants are encouraged to "paint the town" with pre-approved chalk messages distributed astatine a booth.
• In Pensacola, Fla., the Escambia Democratic Party has arranged for elector registration drives nether the #NoKings banner, blurring the enactment betwixt civilian protestation and electoral campaigning.

These are not the spontaneous actions of backstage citizens. They are events sanctioned by the Democratic Party dressed up successful the connection of motivation resistance.

These are not the spontaneous actions of backstage citizens. They are events sanctioned by the Democratic Party dressed up successful the connection of motivation resistance.

These protests magnitude to a caller section of governmental puppetry. One longtime Democratic volunteer, granted anonymity, described to america the interior unit they felt to participate: "It feels little similar a question and much similar a performance. We are told which graphics to share, what signs to people and adjacent however to reply reporters. It is similar the full protestation is simply a run rollout — but successful protestation clothes."

This remark is telling. The Democratic Party is not showing up to these protests arsenic supporters. They are signifier managers. The precise radical informing america against authoritarianism are deploying authoritarian tactics to choreograph outrage. It’s governmental cynicism astatine its finest—activism from above, not below.

Why does this matter? In 2002, my person and workfellow Daniel Pearl was murdered by extremists successful Pakistan. The ideology that led to his decease — sectarianism, division, motivation absolutism — has haunted maine ever since. That aforesaid dogma is present playing retired successful American streets, cloaked successful slogans similar "No Kings" and "Save Democracy."

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In my 2023 book, Woke Army, I warned of an unholy confederation betwixt far-left radicals and ideological opportunists that undermines institutions from within. Today’s protests manifest this confederation and they are the logical adjacent step: not integrated resistance, but manufactured dissent designed to power the adjacent predetermination cycles.

This isn't astir Donald Trump’s flaws oregon strengths. It’s astir the weaponization of protestation by those already successful power.

Today’s protestation is not a revolution. It’s a connection that refuses the 2024 predetermination results. The connection is this: the Democratic Party is consenting to usage each instrumentality disposable — PACs, nonprofits, nationalist unions and adjacent thoroughfare protests — to power the communicative heading into the adjacent elections.

Voters should beryllium wary of immoderate enactment that cries "democracy" portion scripting the applause, supplying the signs and managing the stage.

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Today, arsenic you ticker video clips of marchers chanting and waving signs, inquire yourself: who paid for the microphone? Who printed the signs? And who benefits erstwhile the assemblage disperses? The reply is wide with Trump’s day enactment for the Army: it’s an look of the ruling Republican administration.

That’s the benignant of transparency we request to person astir the thoroughfare protests. The protests aren’t grassroots. They are the governmental puppeteering of the Democratic Party.

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