US President Donald Trump’s rush of Executive Orders meant to “Make America Great Again”, have, in fact, damaged his reputation at home and given rise to the popular “No Kings” rallies in over 2700 cities across the country.
The Economist reported that according to the latest opinion polls, Trump’s ratings were “Approval 40%, Disapproval 55% and Unsure 5%.” The respected British newsmagazine pointed out that most US Presidents (since such polls were started to be conducted) have started their terms with “positive net approval ratings”. But Trump’s two terms began with public opinion split nearly evenly. And in both cases, Trump’s net approval ratings quickly turned negative.
In the nine months he has been in power, Trump has set in motion a dramatic transformation of the US government. He has used executive fiats to reshape tariffs, the immigration system, domestic employment and foreign policy. He has for the first time in US history attacked freedoms enjoyed by universities and the press.
In The Economist’s view, Americans, by and large, have a dim view of his actions. Giving details, the newsmagazine says, “Americans are not just disappointed with how he has handled bread-and-butter issues such as inflation and the economy. They also don’t like his approach to issues that were central to his appeal, like immigration and crime.”
Trump was re-elected because people were fed up with the lacklustre Biden administration. During the campaign, Trump aggressively promoted his capabilities saying “incomes will skyrocket, inflation will vanish completely, jobs will come roaring back and the middle class will prosper like never, ever before”.
But so far, only disappointment has been in store for the average American.
Ratings of his handling of the economy and inflation have fallen steeply to “strongly negative” after he declared a trade war on the world. Investors were left in the cold. YouGov’s data also suggest that Americans now disapprove of his handling of immigration, another issue central to his re-election.
Using YouGov’s data, The Economist projected Trump’s approval rating State by State. Not surprisingly, approval of Trump is lowest in States that tend to vote for Democrats and highest in those that tend to vote for Republicans. But interestingly, dissatisfaction with Trump is widespread even in States that voted for him just a few months ago.
As with other Republican politicians before him, White and male voters are more approving of Trump, while younger voters and members of ethnic minorities are strongly disapproving. People who have the most education—college graduates and postgraduates—are least likely to support Trump.
Inflation is the most persistent complaint about the Trump administration, with 22% naming it as the biggest problem. About 14% mentioned employment as the biggest issue and 7 to 9% mentioned civil rights and civil liberties. Immigration issues are mentioned by 7%. National security bothers 7%, Crime 3% and Education 3%.
Nearly 7 million people took part in demonstrations across the US against Trump under the banner “No Kings” on October 18. “No Kings” rallies were held in over 2,700 cities. They were run by a coalition of organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Indivisible and others.
"The millions of people protesting are centred around a fierce love for our country. A country that we believe is worth fighting for,” said Katie Bethell of “MoveOn” one of the organizers of the rallies said in a statement.
They have been "organized by regular people, by volunteers," Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer of the ACLU, told ABC News.
Jeremy Pressman, political science professor at the University of Connecticut told ABC News that the turnout reported by organizers would make it the largest reported turnout for a one-day protest in the US, second only to the first Earth Day in 1970. In Washington, D.C., roughly 200,000 people showed up and 100,000 attended in New York.
The October “No Kings” rallies were the second in 2025, the first was held in June to coincide with Trump’s birthday which was also marked by a military parade.
Scientist and TV personality Bill Nye who was among the speakers in Washington, D.C. said, “We are here to tell our lawmakers that what's going on in our government is wrong. They must stop the abuses of this petulant president and his circle of sycophants. No thrones, no crowns, no kings."
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told ABC News that he was struck by one placard that said "silence is compliance." He then added, “We cannot be silent with this increasing militarization of our cities, the abuse of the Justice Department and] the dismantling of science. People need to speak out, and it's wonderful millions around the country are speaking out today."
Republicans, however, were livid. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson kept called the events the “Hate America” rallies. Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the “No Kings” events were “part of antifa,” which Trump wants to eliminate.
Antifa is a left-wing anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement. It is sometimes described as a highly decentralized array of autonomous groups in the United States. Antifa political activism includes nonviolent methods of direct action such as poster and flyer campaigns, mutual aid, speeches, protest marches, and community organizing.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the events in the “No Kings” rallies” would feature the “the farthest Left”. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, wrote on X on Thursday, that he "directed the Department of Public Safety and National Guard to surge forces into Austin" ahead of the rallies.
"Texas will NOT tolerate chaos. Anyone destroying property or committing acts of violence will be swiftly arrested,” Abbott wrote.
State Republican Gene Wu, who chairs the State House’s Democratic caucus, wrote in response, "Sending armed soldiers to suppress peaceful protests is what kings and dictators do -- and Greg Abbott just proved he’s one of them."
Attendees were also concerned about Trump’s attacks on free speech as well as Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders speaking at the Washington DC event and warned that Trump is putting US democracy in danger with his attacks on immigrants, free speech, and the media. He spoke out against Trump’s efforts to consolidate “more and more power in his own hands and in the hands of his fellow oligarchs.”
The point of the “No Kings” protests, according to its organizers, is to show that “America has no kings, and that power belongs to the people.”
The name wasn’t plucked from thin air as Trump’s White House had previously described the President as “the king” on social media. Trump also claimed that “a lot” of Americans would “like a dictator”, Zeteo, the video channel run by Indo-American journalist Mehdi Hasan reported.
During the “No Kings” rallies on Saturday Trump’s political team repeatedly posted images on X showing the President wearing a crown, and also posted an AI-generated video with Trump dressed in a monarch’s robes while standing at the White House.
Vice President J.D. Vance and Trump’s “crypto czar” David Sacks both shared an AI video showing Trump putting on a crown and robes and wielding a sword, and Democratic lawmakers bowing to him.
But Trump seems to be embarrassed by his own claim to be the King of the US. “They’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” he said in a Fox News interview clip on Friday.
President Donald Trump acknowledged the nationwide “No Kings” protests against him and his administration Saturday in an AI-generated video that shows the U.S. president as a king in a fighter jet dropping what appears to be a large amount of faecal matter on protesters below.
According to www.msn.com it was the latest weird AI-generated meme Trump had posted on social media over the years. In May, Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the Pope, following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 (and a few days before Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV was elected).
In February, Trump shared an AI-generated video depicting the war-torn Gaza Strip transformed into the "Trump Gaza" resort, which among other scenes showed Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sitting shirtless poolside.