Transcript: MAGA Rage at “No Kings” Boils Over—Exposing Trump as Weak

The problem, though, is that in their media ecosystem they will just seize on some little incident to make it true that these protests were violent. So there’s no point at which they ever, ever are held accountable—not by their own media sources, anyway. The only conceivable way we can hold them accountable is with enormous turnout at these rallies and then with a victory in 2026, right? Is there any other way out?

Lawrence: Well, we see what’s going on in Portland, with all the sort of cartoon-character costumes being depicted as violent extremists. And, you know, it’s almost laughable, as you said. But they have people believing—as Trump said recently—that there are no stores with regular windows in Portland, that everything is boards in the windows. Well, that’s not how Portland sees it. They go shopping all the time at stores with windows. But, you know, you’re up against a lot here. You’re up against a president not only with a bully pulpit, but with a bunch of people who believe everything he says. So I think you’re right: In numbers, there can be evidence.

What makes me very upset—and I don’t want to make this any more depressing than it already is—but, I mean, we’re coming onto the 250th anniversary of our country, when all of these rights were defined and set out and thought to be permanent—as permanent as we could make them. And so I really hope that these protests work out, that people keep their heads—and I include the National Guard troops and anyone else there in a law-enforcement capacity—because they can’t be happy about having to do this, most of them. So hopefully everyone is calm, and we get through this, and it’s a great demonstration of opposition to the administration.