House Speaker Mike Johnson didn’t hold back when discussing the "No Kings" protests that took place Saturday across the nation, calling the demonstrations nothing more than a "stunt." During a Sunday appearance on ABC's This Week, Johnson obliterated the premise of the rallies, pointing out the irony of the protesters' message.

When asked by host Jonathan Karl about his earlier characterization of the rallies as “Hate America” events, Johnson quickly reminded viewers that if President Donald Trump were truly a king, "the government would be open right now." He went on to emphasize, “If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise on the Mall,” highlighting that the National Mall remained open under Trump's leadership during the shutdown, unlike during President Obama’s 2013 government shutdown when he closed it.

Johnson’s sharp response framed the protests as a desperate need for a spectacle, saying, “They needed a stunt. They needed a show,” and made it clear that the protesters' anti-Trump message didn’t hold water.

The "No Kings" protests, which attracted Trump critics like George Conway, were seen as part of a larger pushback against Trump’s influence. But Johnson’s point was simple: If Trump were the autocrat his detractors claim, they wouldn't have the freedom to protest at all.

While the "No Kings" rallies unfolded amid the partial government shutdown, Johnson’s comments underscored the contrasting approaches of the Trump and Obama administrations when it came to handling public spaces and free speech during a government shutdown.

It seems that in Johnson’s view, the protests were more about creating a dramatic narrative than about any real concern over Trump's supposed monarchic tendencies.