Millions turned out for the latest round of so-called No Kings demonstrations, a nationwide spectacle that organizers billed as a stand against alleged authoritarianism. What started as a predictable left-wing mobilization quickly revealed a darker, more hostile streak in pockets of the crowd, and conservatives are right to demand answers about who organized and financed these events. This was no small fringe showing — the protests spanned thousands of locations and drew headlines for scale and intensity.
But scale does not excuse moral bankruptcy, and shocking videos from several rallies show protesters celebrating violence and even mocking the assassination of a conservative leader. One viral clip out of Chicago captured an elementary school teacher making a vile gun gesture in apparent celebration, an image that rightly set off alarm bells about the values being modeled to children. The country mourned the tragic killing at a Utah campus, and to see that grief be treated as a punchline by some on the left is nothing short of evil.
Conservative voices on the right, including Benny Johnson and conservative broadcasters, called these actions out for what they are: hateful, tone-deaf displays that cross the line from protest into menace. Republican leaders, including the House speaker, have echoed that criticism and warned that labeling entire political opposition as un-American is a dangerous game. This is not mere partisan whining — it is a necessary pushback against rhetoric that erodes civic trust and normalizes threats.
Meanwhile, the mainstream press and progressive elites tried to minimize the uglier episodes, casting the nationwide day of action as purely patriotic dissent and ignoring videos that show otherwise. That selective outrage and double standard only reinforces what conservatives have been saying for years: the media covers for its allies while amplifying conservative missteps. Polling and on-the-ground surveys make clear these crowds skew heavily left, which makes the moral failing of gloating over assassination all the more ominous.
President Trump’s camp pushed back in kind, even reposting a crude AI-created video mocking protesters, which descended into absurdity but spoke to the anger simmering across the country. Whether you think the president’s response was tasteful or not, it’s obvious that ordinary Americans are furious at scenes where civility and basic decency are discarded. The spectacle of deepfakes and mocking clips only shows how low political discourse has sunk — on both sides — but the left’s defenders cannot have it both ways when their movement’s worst moments are exposed.
Institutions are finally being forced to act: a university law professor was dismissed after social posts celebrating the killing, and school officials are scrambling to discipline staff caught on camera. Conservatives should applaud real consequences for those who cross from protest into celebrating murder, while also insisting that accountability be even-handed and driven by law rather than politics. If we are going to have a functioning republic, institutions must protect the innocent and punish hate, not shelter it under the guise of activism.
This moment calls for conservatives to be both firm and principled — condemn violence, defend free speech, and demand that media and elites stop sanitizing dangerous conduct. Patriots who love this country must push back against movements that celebrate death and mock mourning, while holding the left to the same standards they demand of us. Our nation is stronger when we insist on law, order, and decency, and that is the fight every hardworking American should proudly join.
