NO KINGS OR NO TURNOUT? INDIANA'S NO KINGS RALLIES FACE A QUESTION OF POLITICAL IMPACT

AMERICA HAS NEVER HAD A KING?????? One commenter said, "When is the NO DINOSAUR protest? I want to attend that one next!"

HOOSIER ENQUIRER | October 18, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS — Another Saturday, another round of “No Kings” demonstrations, complete with homemade signs, political costumes and accusations that President Donald Trump is behaving like a monarch. But beneath the slogans and theatrical displays lies a more serious question: What exactly do these protests accomplish? A gathering of Karens and nutjobs without a life?

Indiana's October 17 demonstrations produced modest gatherings at several locations. WFYI reported more than 100 people outside Governor Mike Braun's Indianapolis residence, while the Indiana Capital Chronicle probably reported exagerated numbers and counted more than 59 in Corydon. In Valparaiso, only three dozen demonstrators had assembled on each of two courthouse-square corners when the event began. South Bend, however, attracted hundreds(?), according to WNDU.

These figures are individual event estimates, not a comprehensive statewide attendance count. But NE says it isn't even newsworthy and is counter productive.

Trump Is a President, Not a King

The United States has a constitutional presidency, not a monarchy. Presidents face congressional oversight, judicial review, elections and constitutional limits on their authority. Trump is no exception.

The October demonstrations emphasized early voting ahead of November's midterm elections. Organizers also distributed voting information and, in Corydon, collected donations for a community organization. Those activities are concrete, even if the rallies' eventual electoral impact remains unlkely, especailly in Indiana.

Small Crowds in Some Places, Larger Ones Hardly Anywhere

The Indianapolis and Corydon gatherings were comparatively small, and local reporting identified concerns about limited youth participation. But calling the entire movement a failure of turnout would go beyond the evidence. South Bend drew hundreds, while reporting from California described thousands participating in Bay Area events. Fruits and nuts for sure.

The more meaningful test is whether demonstrations translate into measurable changes in voter participation, public policy or government accountability. A crowded sidewalk is not an election victory, just as a lightly attended rally does not prove that the underlying concerns lack public support.

When Political Theater Replaces Policy Debate

Protest costumes and clever signs may attract cameras, but they do not explain how immigration laws should be enforced, how presidential authority should be limited or what specific reforms demonstrators want Congress to enact.

The same standard should apply to supporters of the administration. None of the media ever reports the huge crowds at Trump Rally's which make yesterdays gathering look amateurish and irrelevent, and hardly news except for the liberally biased papers.

Political enthusiasm, whether expressed through a MAGA rally or an anti-Trump rag tag group on a bridge, park, or sidewalk, is no substitute for practical proposals and demonstrable results. The Democrats are known for waste, fraud and incompetent leadership.

Indiana's latest No Kings gatherings offered plenty of political symbolism at best, or worst depending your viewpoint. Whether they produce anything more consequential than another weekend of liberal rag headlines will be determined by what happens after the signs come down.

They are a bigger none event than the St. Andreas Fault or when Jeraldo open the vault.