On No Kings Day Protest: The Threadbare Presidency and the Power of the People. OP-ED

American cities have been labeled enemy territory by a president who is determined to send military forces into states he was supposed to protect, without authorization or request from governors.

This act defies the Posse Comitatus Act and the broader principles of the U.S. Constitution, which clearly state that the military has no business interfering in the everyday lives of American civilians in their homes and communities.

Under Trump, National Guard units have been deployed in ways that challenge constitutional boundaries. These deployments contradict the intentions of the framers.

A president, in collusion with another member of his party, especially from Texas, unilaterally sends his state’s National Guard to invade another state simply because Trump says so.

If states were not meant to have autonomy over their own Guard, or control over their own affairs and people, or if governors’ permission were not required before a president could deploy troops, that power would have been abolished long ago.

But the framers did not abolish it.

And now, in 2025, a president feels emboldened to deploy troops as he pleases, even when no governor has called for them.

Americans watch in horror as Trump withholds, or in many cases manipulates, congressionally approved funds as if they were his personal money.

He punishes cities that defy him, cancels rail projects, denies aid to the poor, and unilaterally allocates over 20 billion dollars of taxpayer funds to a personal associate in Argentina.

Meanwhile, back home, food prices skyrocket. Healthcare costs soar. Rents climb. Access to education shrinks.

Homelessness now pervades American streets like never before.

Student loan programs that once helped young people become professionals are being gutted, not through debate, but by decree.

This has occurred through another piece of legislation recently passed, in what some have called an ugly and reckless bill.

For the first time in modern American presidential history, we now have a president who openly threatens states and their citizens, especially as local elections approach.

Trump declares that if citizens do not vote for candidates he approves of, he could withhold congressional funds as punishment, cancel projects, and deny federally mandated support.

This is not just unconstitutional. It is coercion. It is a blatant attempt to interfere in local elections in the most horrifying way possible.

Governors and mayors Trump favors continue to lose elections, and this tactic appears designed to reverse those outcomes.

At the core of it all is another problem: debt accumulation. The numbers do not lie.

When President Biden left office, the national debt stood at approximately 35.4 trillion dollars, an increase of 7 trillion over four years, driven by pandemic recovery and social spending.

Ten months into Trump’s second term, the debt-to-GDP ratio has surged past 120 percent, with the federal deficit ballooning to over 7.5 percent of GDP.

Many of Trump’s signature initiatives, once touted as economic boosters, are now failing to generate revenue.

His enforced tariffs have nearly collapsed many small-scale businesses, the real engines of the American economy, as prices have become too high to adjust inventory costs for consumers.

Many are now openly saying: “This is not what Trump promised.” The country continues to sink deeper into debt and is becoming more economically unstable than ever before.

Meanwhile, even as more people demand accountability, from Epstein file releases to broken campaign promises, the administration continues to defy court orders while blurring the lines between governance and personal vendetta.

Trump has reportedly withheld visas from foreign leaders he dislikes and, in some cases, authorized lethal actions against private citizens in international waters without oversight or public explanation.

He is teetering toward a mindset of “I am the law” and acts as he pleases, with no explanation and no corroboration, breaking international law in the process.

What should have been a routine vote to pass a continuing resolution has turned into a painful reality for millions of Americans.

Under Trump’s leadership, and with Republican control, Congress, once a co-equal branch of government, now appears to be at the mercy of the executive branch.

Under Republican-led control, Congress now functions to appease one man in a way that contradicts how the Constitution and its framers designed the balance of power to operate.

Decisions once meant to be negotiated are now dictated from above. Presidential will alone is treated as law.

Under Trump, the government shutdown has left countless Americans without pay, struggling to meet their everyday obligations in the same country where the president remains unbothered by their plight.

He continues to enjoy wealth and comfort at the taxpayers’ expense, offering no clear leadership or solutions to ensure that the Americans who rely on him receive their paychecks and can feed their families.

On No Kings Day, a new reminder emerged. It served as a powerful message of the people’s strength, especially as more local elections approach and the 2026 midterms loom.

The No Kings Day protest, from both blue and red states, was not just a parade. It was a declaration.

A rejection of a presidency that rewards the president, his party, and his family, who have made millions from presidential affiliations and power, while leaving crumbs for the rest of Americans.

These are the people whose blood, sweat, and tears built the economy long before Donald Trump came to power.

Ten months into his term, Trump’s presidency has become a symbol of division and chaos.

This division is unlike anything seen in modern American history, and it is being perpetuated by the president himself.

His second term appears designed not to serve the people it was meant to serve, but to serve his own ego, whims, and personal interests.

As more Americans wake up to Trump’s destructive style of presidency and policy, Republicans, Democrats, and everyday citizens caught in the middle are growing weary of a government that constantly blames immigrants, ignores rising costs, and offers no real solutions.

What it offers instead is relentless division and racism.

Even as Trump’s party tried to paint the protests as un-American, the truth was undeniable.

The people came out in large numbers.

These were real Americans, standing up for justice, fairness, and dignity.

They came out to remind the president that power belongs to the people, not to one man, as he and his Project 2025 may have envisioned.

And that on American soil, no one bows to a king.

Today, as Trump’s presidency hangs by a thread, let the No Kings Day protest be a reminder.

The people are watching, paying attention, and they are ready to act.

The American presidency, from its inception, is not a one-man show. It will never be a territorial dictatorship.

Power, by itself, is not permanent.

Nothing lasts forever, not even the authority temporarily granted to a president.

The American presidency was never designed for one man to hold indefinitely.

The No Kings Day protest made that clear, especially not from a presidency that fails to uplift the people it was meant to serve.

Let the No Kings Day protest be a warning to anyone who dares tamper with the American Constitution. Replacing it with something unfamiliar to the people, like Project 2025, may spell doom for those who try.

As many historians have noted, this is a silent coup from within; an attempt to rewrite the Constitution in a way that pleases a small minority of oligarchs, reshaping American law and society from the inside out, contrary to how the framers designed it.

A day of reckoning is gradually approaching, when all of this ill will and illiberalism will be answered for, no matter how it is reshaped or window dressed.

Americans on No Kings Day made this clear and loud.

There will be no king, and no decree in any way, shape, or form enforced on American soil will stand against the U.S. Constitution.

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About the Author

Yetunde Babajide is an entrepreneur, political analyst, and advocate who speaks passionately on the intersections of race, power, and governance, and how these forces shape the lives of everyday people. She frequently addresses issues of inequality in America, especially the state of fairness in housing, homelessness, and economic decay.

She holds a BA in Politics from New York University, an MBA from St. John’s University, and a dual MS/MSW in Policy Practice from Columbia University, specializing in economic policy and advocacy. This dual concentration was earned through years of rigorous training and a deep commitment to mastering both clinical social work and high-level policy analysis.

Her education equips her not only to serve vulnerable populations, but also to delve into financial institutions, healthcare organizations, write policy, and lead strategic reform as a public sector analyst.

To better understand the challenges of drug use, fentanyl, and opioid exposure among homeless and vulnerable populations in America, she has also completed CASAC training and holds a CASAC Completion certification. This credential enhances her work in therapeutic settings, both in closed and open group formats. She is now on a mission to use education, expertise, law, and civic engagement to challenge injustice and elevate the voices of the unheard.