No Kings Rallies Scheduled for Saturday: Spontaneous Outcry or Well-Funded Theater?
Critics allege No Kings is organized by Democrat operatives and funded by left-wing sources
Billed by organizers as a coast-to-coast outcry against Presidential overreach, the “No Kings” rallies scheduled for Saturday, October 18 look to many on the right more like professional political theater. The rallies, organized by Indivisible and a coalition of left-leaning groups, have raised significant questions about who is paying for the events, and why. These questions have hardened into a central criticism from Republicans and independent watchdogs, casting a pall over the entire movement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson ripped the movement in interviews this month. Speaking about the National Mall gathering, Johnson said, “They have a ‘Hate America’ rally that’s scheduled for Oct. 18 on the National Mall. It’s all the pro-Hamas wing and, you know, the ANTIFA people. Some of the House Democrats are selling T-shirts for the event.”
No Kings replied in a short statement that the Speaker was “running out of excuses” for the shutdown and that “millions of Americans” are gathering “to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.” The group emphasized that nonviolence and de-escalation training are provided for their volunteers.
Money, not spontaneity or dedication, fuels the debate about the motivations behind No Kings. A string of reports and data projects allege that large sums—routed through national nonprofits, donor networks, and political intermediaries—backed the June actions and are tied to the current Oct. 18 mobilization. Independent trackers and right-leaning outlets have pointed to alleged flows of federal grants and private donations funneled to groups that partnered with No Kings. DataRepublican, who reconstructs grant flows, lists multiple nonprofits it says are linked to the June 14 demonstrations.
On October 13, Data Republican said (as part of a long thread on the people and organizations behind No Kings):
“When you go to the NoKings website, you'll find over a hundred partners listed, many of them familiar and many Soros-backed. They include big names closely tied to the DNC such as Marc Elias' Democracy Forward.”
Several outlet investigations and opinion pieces have gone further. The Government Accountability Institute and allied commentators argue that a “dark-money” network and large civic foundations supplied millions to groups allied with No Kings. The Washington Times has run a piece pointing to billionaire donors alleged to be backing protests; ZeroHedge published a long piece describing millions in “dark-money” transfers.
If, as appears likely, No Kings is driven by deep pockets and national political operatives, the event is less a citizen uprising than a movement stage-managed to shape public opinion and voting behavior. That matters in a year when control of Congress and State offices is on the line. Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, have publicly called for closer scrutiny of money flows and for tools to limit outside funding of coordinated protest campaigns.
No Kings presents itself as a mass outcry against what organizers call authoritarian moves by the Executive Branch—i.e., President Trump’s actions. For many, the central question is whether this began as a homegrown, grassroots movement—or a well-backed, coordinated campaign meant to shape the political discussion. The answer will depend on careful follow-up: public filings, donor disclosures, and independent audits of claimed funding flows. Until then, what began as protest has become a political story about power, cash and narrative control.
As of this writing there were 15 No Kings events scheduled in Alabama on Saturday, October 18. To find an event, or to know when and where to avoid the event locations, an interactive map is available at THIS LINK.
