Trump trolls ‘No Kings’ protests with obscene AI video and mulls invoking Insurrection Act

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Independent or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Nearly 7 million people took part in nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump, organisers say, as demonstrations spread to more than 2,500–2,700 locations across the United States
• In response, Trump posted a provocative AI‑generated video on Truth Social depicting himself as “King Trump” piloting a jet and dumping a brown sludge on protesters, and he publicly floated the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy federal forces

🔭 The context: The “No Kings” movement — a series of mass actions that began earlier in the year — frames itself as opposition to what organisers describe as growing authoritarianism in the White House
• Saturday’s mobilisation reportedly exceeded the turnout of previous events in June and featured large, mostly peaceful rallies in major cities as well as hundreds of smaller local actions
• The protests come amid a broader political standoff over policies including federal deployments to cities, immigration enforcement and a partial government shutdown

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Mass civic mobilisation and the government’s response matter for societal resilience and institutional trust — both essential to long‑term governance, including the ability to pass and implement climate and sustainability policies
• Erosions in democratic norms (real or perceived) can slow collective action on long‑range challenges that require cross‑party cooperation and stable institutions
• The use of AI in political messaging also raises risks for misinformation and escalatory rhetoric that can harden divisions and complicate consensus on public‑goods policies

⏭️ What's next: Reporting indicates the president may signal troop or National Guard deployments to selected cities, but formal invocation of the Insurrection Act would require narrow legal steps and would likely provoke immediate legal and political challenges

💬 One quote: This is a movement to remind the country: no thrones, no crowns — power belongs to the people.” – No Kings organisers (movement statement).  

📈 One stat: Organisers estimate the October 18 actions drew ~7 million people across 2,500–2,700+ events nationwide — potentially the largest single‑day political protest in modern U.S. history, by organisers’ counts

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