President Donald Trump reacted Sunday night to global “No Kings Day” protesters who filled streets around the world a day earlier, saying he is not a king and works his “ass off to make our country great.”

Trump made the comments to reporters before exiting Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews when asked about the weekend’s No Kings demonstrations.

Asked about the protests, Trump called them “a joke.”

“I looked at the people. They’re not representative of this country, and I looked at all the brand new signs paid for. I guess it was paid for by Soros and other radical left lunatics,” the president said. “It looks like it was worth checking out. The demonstrations were very small, very ineffective and the people were whacked out. When you look at those people, those are not representative of the people of our country.”

 

Protesters march in a 'No Kings' protest near Washington

He also emphasized that he is not royalty.

“I’m not a king,” he said. “I work my ass off to make our country great. That’s all it is. I’m not a king at all.”

His comments came a day after large crowds gathered in cities including New York, Washington, D.C., and London for the second “No Kings” protest since June, aimed at the Trump administration.

 

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite concerns the marches could turn violent, no incidents or arrests were reported during the afternoon rallies amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Republicans argued the protests were meant to distract from the ongoing government funding fight.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told FOX Business he hoped Democratic leaders who attended would be more open to the GOP plan after the demonstrations, though he did not sound optimistic.

 

"Not Here" sign at New York City "No Kings" rally.

Thousands of New Yorkers marched through Times Square on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for the “No Kings” rally in New York City.  (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)

The NYPD estimated more than 100,000 people participated across all five boroughs Saturday and said there were no “protest-related” arrests.

No arrests were reported in Washington, though some protesters briefly spilled into the streets, officials said.

 

Police also reported largely peaceful demonstrations in other major cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Boston, Atlanta, Portland, Ore., and Austin.