Mike Johnson Defends ‘Hate America’ Rally Tag for Anti-Trump Protests

WASHINGTON D.C. – Speaker of the House Mike Johnson stood by his controversial characterization of the recent “No Kings” anti-Trump protests as “hate America” rallies, maintaining in a Sunday interview that his criticism targets the demonstrators’ “hateful message,” not the Democratic Party as a whole.

Appearing on ABC News’ “This Week” with co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Johnson was immediately challenged on his previous statements where he linked the protests—which reportedly included anarchists, Antifa advocates, and pro-Hamas elements—to the “modern Democratic Party.”

Karl referenced Johnson’s past plea for Americans to view each other as “fellow countrymen” rather than “enemies,” creating a direct contrast with the Speaker’s recent rhetoric.

“I’ve never called anybody an enemy,” Johnson responded, but defended his rally label by citing the visual evidence from Saturday’s nationwide demonstrations. “We have video and photos of pretty violent rhetoric calling out the president, saying fascists must die and all the rest. So it’s not about the people, it’s about the message.”

Pressed on equating figures like Antifa and pro-Hamas activists with the mainstream Democratic Party, Johnson pivoted to an argument about the party’s ideological shift.

“I never said it was the whole Democratic Party, but you and I have to acknowledge the reality,” Johnson stated, before pointing specifically to the New York City mayoral race. “Look at what’s happening in New York. They’re about to elect an open socialist Marxist as the mayor of America’s largest city. There’s a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party. It’s an objective fact, and no one can deny it.”

The candidate in question, Zohran Mamdani, identifies as a democratic socialist, a label he has frequently claimed, while previously denying being a “communist” as he has been branded by critics, including President Donald Trump.

Johnson also argued that the “No Kings” theme of the nationwide anti-Trump protests was inherently ironic, suggesting the very existence of the protests disproved the idea of an authoritarian executive.

“If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now,” Johnson asserted, referring to the recent government shutdown debate. “If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise out on the [National] Mall.”