No Kings and the Laws of Power
Understanding the Republican will to power and what Democrats must do to counter it.
Before we get started: The stated policy of every Democrat seeking the presidency should be that the first thing they will do is demolish the Trump ballroom and restore the East Wing of the White House and the White House grounds to their pre-Trump state.
Period. It’s the easiest layup in the history of politics. Trump’s transformation of the People’s House into a presidential palace is undemocratic. Presidents are not kings. Erasing this monstrosity is fundamental statement about the right-ordering of our project in self-government.
Why is this so hard? Why haven’t Democrats already laid out a marker on this?
Oh, and one other question: Is the East Wing teardown and creation of a new structure that dwarfs the existing White House the kind of thing someone does with a rental?
If the Trump 2028 hats he passes out aren’t indicative of the man’s intentions, surely this construction project is?
One last question for the people who keep saying, “Oh JVL, you scamp. Of course Trump won’t try to remain in office after 2028.”
How many elected Republicans can you find who will say, on the record, unequivocally, that Trump cannot run for a third term? I’ll take your answers in the comments.
Now, on to the main event. Because I have some advice for Democrats about how they should be thinking about power.
1. People Power
The October 18 No Kings protests were impressive. Some 7 million Americans showed up. That’s 2 percent of the entire country and 10 percent of the total number of people who voted for Donald Trump in 2024. They assembled in cities and towns. They did so with no—zero—violence.
These protests were a demonstration of power. But before we get to them, I’d like to show you a different demonstration of power.
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