By Matthew Rooney & Michael Donohue
Political movements come and go. Some transform into something; others lack a foundation and ultimately fade away. The America First movement is revitalizing conservatism by prioritizing the needs of the nation and its citizenry over the desires of special interests or foreign actors. Although it’s been scarcely 10 years since President Donald Trump’s historic ride down the golden escalator, America First shows every sign of transformative permanence on the American political landscape.
The Left can’t say the same.
With its own coalition in tatters, the Left recently adopted the “No Kings” slogan in response to President Trumps’ sweeping actions and effective governance. In New Jersey and throughout the nation, the Left attempted to distract from the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary by holding “No Kings” protests and reciting familiar refrains. Depending on where you saw the protestors, various messages were displayed on their signage ranging from criticism of President Trump and his policies to bitter personal attacks.
Another protest is planned for July 4 . The most perplexing part of the protest? The actual branding: “No Kings.”
Who is attempting to rule as a king? The duly elected US President, Donald Trump? The democratically elected Republican majority in both the U.S. House and Senate? The absurdity is obvious but also cuts deep when you consider leftist attempts to dominate and rule tyrannically.
Consider a few years ago, when the COVID lockdowns were imposed upon New Jersey. Our Governor, Philip Murphy, went on national television and bragged about how he “wasn’t thinking of the Bill of Rights” while crafting draconian Covid regulations that killed businesses, stunted the learning of young people and trampled upon basic liberties. He also offered that the Bill of Rights was “above [his] pay grade.”
Tyrannical kings don’t care about constitutions or fundamental rights either. It is our sacred duty to uphold the rights of our countrymen; this isn’t above anyone’s “pay grade,” and especially not above the pay grade of our elected officials.
The Left’s monarchical impulses have not lessened over the past few years. Recently, to satisfy the so-called “Fair Share” housing plan of Cranbury township, the Henry family was notified that their farm—in the family for 175 years—will likely be seized by eminent domain. Eminent domain abuse and New Jersey’s affordable housing “Mount Laurel Doctrine” make kings out of men; they also happen to be products of the ideological Left.
The Left treats parents and children like their subjects, too. Three local school districts were sued by the Murphy administration for having the audacity to support parental notification when a minor student expresses a desire to live as another gender other than their own. Why would New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin insist on keeping parents in the dark about their children’s personal lives and mental health? Only authoritarian kings believe children are the property of the state, essentially on loan to their parents. No Kings protestors support secret transitions for minors, and they don’t seem to grasp the irony.
Despite widespread and bipartisan concerns about rising costs and vehicle affordability, the Leftist-dominated New Jersey legislature is also actively forcing an electric vehicle mandate that will require 43% of 2027 model vehicles to be electric with a 100% requirement by 2035. Conservatives believe in free markets and free economies. Kings impose rules that reduce to, “you will buy what we tell you to buy.”
Kings wield power without public consultation. While former President Joe Biden was self-evidently in cognitive decline, the White House, the legacy media, and the entire Democrat Party sold us the lie that he was fine and cartwheeling through the West Wing. To add insult to injury, when he decided not to run for a second term, even the Democrat Party constituents were treated like subjects to kingly rule. Rather than allow Kamala Harris to compete against other contenders, she was ordained as the candidate to potentially serve as the leader of the free world.
Doesn’t that sound like the work of royalty or a king, and less like a constitutional republic that serves the will of the people?
As we approach our July 4 holiday and prepare for the 250th anniversary of the Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence from a king and tyrant across the pond, and endure another No Kings protest, let’s be honest, the drift toward monarchical autocracy in this country has happened on the Left. As usual, they are engaging in doublespeak to paint the President and his supporters as the villains.
It’s clear which political ideology wants to rule as a king and which does not.
Michael Donohue is chair of AFPI New Jersey. A former Superior Court Judge and County Administrator for Cape May County, he has decades of legal, political, and community leadership experience, including successfully leading opposition to offshore wind projects off the Atlantic Coast.
Matt Rooney is the Executive Director of AFPI New Jersey and host of The Matt Rooney Show on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT. A lifelong New Jerseyan and practicing attorney at Blaney, Donohue & Weinberg, he is a leading voice for reform and accountability in the Garden State.
