By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Senior National
Correspondent
Donald Trump’s extravagant $134 million birthday and military parade through Washington, D.C., drew outrage across the country and prompted massive counterprotests under the banner “No Kings Day.”
The president’s show of force was widely viewed as self-congratulatory and authoritarian, sparking demonstrations in dozens of cities from Los Angeles and Atlanta to Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York.
Tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets, many carrying signs declaring “No Kings in America” and photos of former President Barack Obama—a deliberate contrast to Trump’s dictator-like spectacle.
In Atlanta, a 5,000-capacity rally at the state Capitol quickly overflowed as thousands more gathered outside the barriers. Demonstrators across the country accused Trump of attempting to install himself as a de facto monarch, dismissing constitutional norms and democratic principles.
The protest momentum was amplified by resurfaced video and audio recordings that critics say further reveal Trump’s authoritarian ambitions.
In one hot mic moment inside the Oval Office, Trump is heard telling El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, “The homegrown criminals are next. Yeah. I said homegrowns are next—the homegrowns. You’ve got to build about five more places. Yeah, that’s fair. Alright? Yeah. It’s not big enough. No, yeah. Come on.”
The chilling exchange raised the alarm over whether Trump was seriously proposing sending U.S. citizens abroad for detention, an idea legal experts say would directly violate the Constitution.
The remarks follow a pattern of Trump admiring autocratic leaders. In an earlier on-camera exchange, Trump gushed about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un: “Could happen, yeah I would have him, yeah, I think it’s something that could happen. Hey, he’s the head of a country, and I mean, he’s the strong head. Don’t let anyone think anything different. He speaks, and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”
Those words, now resurfacing as tensions escalate and threats to democratic institutions rise, reveal how close America is to its first dictatorship.
“It is absolutely well-known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they’re so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favors,” former Vice President Kamala Harris warned during the September 2024 presidential debate.
