The GOP Escalates Opposition to Peaceful Protest
Republican leaders reveal blatant hypocrisy about mass dissent
Tomorrow, Oct. 18, millions of people across the country will join together for peaceful No Kings protests. Indivisible co-lead Ezra Levin, one of the principal organizers, has described the protests as including “moms and grandmas and kids and dogs and funny chants” — noting that there will be a “feeling of joyous power out in the streets.”
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This isn’t what you’d expect if you listened only to Republican talking points. In fact, their claims might leave you downright scared to leave your home.
Not only is House Speaker Mike Johnson (R–Louisiana) fine with federal agents shooting faith leaders with pepper balls and arresting journalists in Chicago, he and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R–Indiana) have repeatedly referred to No Kings as “hate America protests.” Emmer has falsely claimed that “the terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party has organized the protests and is catering to people who “just do not love this country.” Sen. Roger Marshall (R–Kansas) has expressed doubt that the protests will remain peaceful.
This comes as Trump officials attempt to criminalize First Amendment-protected freedom of speech and assembly. In June, Trump threatened “very heavy force” against those who dared to protest his self-indulgent military parade. He deployed the National Guard in response to overwhelmingly peaceful anti-ICE protests in Democratic-controlled cities that have explicitly rejected such deployments, like Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland and Washington, D.C. — and is ignoring the rulings from several courts that have found his actions unconstitutional.
Just this week, the Treasury Secretary indicated that the IRS is “compiling lists” of left-wing groups to investigate, likening them — without evidence — to Osama Bin Laden.
Josh Kovensky
The administration is reportedly investigating or preparing to investigate dozens of progressive organizations, including George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA). Their purported crimes? Funding or organizing protests.
The spin zone: Casting protest as ‘terrorism’
In a recent executive order, President Trump directed the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of “terrorist organizations” — which he defines as anyone who disagrees with him. Of course, the administration ignores the inconvenient fact that far-right extremists commit the vast majority of political violence in this country.
While there’s zero evidence of a widespread left-wing conspiracy to carry out political violence, the Brennan Center for Justice’s Faiza Patel explains that Trump is villainizing a “breathtakingly broad list [that] easily encompasses everyone from labor organizers, socialists, many libertarians, those who criticize Christianity, pro-immigration groups, anti-ICE protestors, and racial justice and transgender activists, to anyone who holds views that the administration considers to be ‘anti-American.’”
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Under Trump’s National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, the government can label any groups as “antifa” — and target them accordingly.
The authoritarian playbook
The Trump regime and its allies in Congress are showing all of the signs of authoritarianism that Free Press has flagged in its guide on the topic.
The authoritarian playbook is clear:
Subverting reality. Check.
Capture of institutions and collusion of the corporate sector. Check.
Chilling the press. Check.
The Trump administration has routinely attacked press freedom — and media capitulation is on the rise. The Ellison family bought Paramount/CBS, installed right-wing provocateur Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News and apparently wants to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery and a stake in TikTok. Thankfully, many brave journalists continue to report the facts in the face of government coercion and intimidation. Yet the price for press freedom has been steep, with many journalists experiencing threats and violence for doing their jobs. Journalist Mario Guevara was even deported to his native El Salvador for holding the administration accountable.
Shutting down free speech and dissent. They wish.
The president and his minions — including the laughingstock of the American Bar, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Trump’s FCC puppet, Brendan Carr — are trying desperately to check this box. But millions of Americans aren’t having it.
What to expect when you’re expecting authoritarianism
We’ve spent enough time observing President Trump in the Oval Office to notice patterns in how he wields his power during mass mobilizations against his regime. We are likely to see some combination of the following scenarios play out over the next few days:
- Large, widespread and overwhelmingly peaceful protests.
- The president belittling the breadth and substance of the protests, casting participants as violent, dangerous or paid actors.
- Militarized presence by law enforcement, including masked agents, possible intimidation and other physical tactics to swarm gatherings of demonstrators.
- Law enforcement targeting journalists, even when journalists are visibly members of the media, including possible efforts to limit filming of protest gatherings.
- Elected officials’ cherry-picking facts and distorting reality to justify the further militarization of our cities — as well as violence against and arrests of peaceful protesters and journalists.
- Manipulated news and social-media reports, spreading misleading information about the protests and escalating tensions on the ground.
Here’s how we can stand up for democracy and free speech this weekend:
- Protest. Make funny signs. Warmly include people in the protest. Be good to each other.
- Share news and information with the utmost care. Slow down. Consider the source. Malicious actors exploit tense political moments to spread disinformation and foment chaos.
- Plainly name and condemn government actors who abuse their power.
- Help others around you understand what’s happening and why.
Free Press Action’s guide to protesting in 2025 is a useful resource for all those getting out there to peacefully protest tomorrow and in the future.
I have a confession: I don’t like protesting. Crowds overwhelm me, and as a lifelong Californian, I have a hard time when the weather deviates from sunny and 70. Despite my seemingly outspoken nature, I’m a closet introvert. Yet I show up because I know that protest works. If it didn’t, the right wouldn’t be shredding the Constitution and trying so hard to shut us up.
About the author
Jessica J. González is an attorney and co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action, where she leads efforts to transform the media system so it can support a just and multiracial democracy. Follow her on Bluesky.
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Former Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya penned a personal essay for The New Republic this week called “How I Became a Populist.” In March, the Trump administration illegally fired Bedoya, who is a former member of the Free Press board.
“I came into office an unabashed advocate for immigrants,” he writes. “I left office the same way. But while that hasn’t changed, after three years as a commissioner, the way I look at the world has. I used to think that the defining fight for our country was between the left and the right. Now, I am much more worried about the money at the top crushing everyone underneath.”
The full essay is well worth the read.
Alvaro M. Bedoya
This story from KFF Health News examines the real-world consequences of Trump’s disdain for and destruction of the Digital Equity Act. The program, which supported “digital navigators” and other efforts to reach underserved populations without reliable internet access, was terminated in May after Trump called it “racist” on Truth Social.
“In every state, there’s a loss,” said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance — which filed a lawsuit last week over the withholding of digital-equity funds mandated by Congress and committed by the Biden administration.
Press
The kicker
Who doesn’t love a good political cartoon? The latest from Patrick Chappatte sums up the journalism week pretty accurately:
Today's @chappatte.bsky.social cartoon in print edition of @bostonglobe.com #Pentagon
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T12:12:40.429Z
