Back in June, I attended the first “No Kings” rally in Gainesville, Florida, On October 18, I attended the second.

Positive differences:

While crowd estimates always vary, this rally definitely turned more people out than the last one. Part of that might have to do with University of Florida students having been home for the summer in June, but back in class now. Then again, this was also football homecoming weekend at UF, so “No Kings” was only the SECOND-biggest event in town. At both events, the crowd age definitely trended much older than “college kids.”

This event also seemed more heavily focused than the first on opposition to the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda and its military misadventures (both direct and by proxy, both abroad and with occupations of American cities at home). Not only are those issues where I tend to agree with most of the “No Kings” crowd, but they’re also more germane to the theme.

Negative similarities:

The first “No Kings” rally, I wrote then, was largely a Democratic “campaign event for the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election. Those of who oppose Trump but aren’t Democrats came along for the ride. Our support was co-opted whether we liked it or not.”

If anything, the second event took on an even more “vote — and by the way, vote Democrat” tone.

Despite the increased and welcome focus on Trump’s foreign military misadventures and domestic martial law moves, there was still plenty of “Yes Kings” signage and sloganeering.

One speaker, believe it or not, even devoted a minute or two to praising Joe Biden’s (and before him, Donald Trump’s) COVID-19 monarchical pretensions and decrying the “No Kings” protesters of that era … many of whom, unfortunately, reverted to their own prior “Yes Kings” advocacy on January 20, 2025.

Quite a few of the protesters seemed upset by the current “government shutdown,” and intent on recovering “their” government funding for … well, insert pretty much any activity here and I saw it supported.

And, of course, I heard a lot of talk about “democracy,” which in American practice tends to resemble monarchy on steroids. As Mather Byles asked in 1773,  “Which is better — to be ruled by one tyrant three thousand miles away or by three thousand tyrants one mile away?” We’re not going to vote our way out of this mess.

The rally was a good time with a positive vibe, and I’m glad to see Americans coming together in opposition to one tyrant.

But until and unless we start coming together in opposition to tyranny itself — the state per se — and in support of liberty for all, the only question is how much more kingly and despotic our next ruler will get than the previous one got.

Thomas L. Knapp (X: @thomaslknapp | Bluesky: @knappster.bsky.social | Mastodon: @knappster) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.

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