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Brian Lehrer: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Happy Monday, everybody. All right, who wants to talk about your No Kings Day? We'll start the week with the question, what were you rallying for on No Kings Day? 212-433-WNYC, or what were you rallying against on No Kings Day? 212-433-9692, call or text, and did you carry or see a favorite sign on No Kings Day? 212-433-WNYC. I want to give you a chance to try to refute, and you'll hear why I use that word, a chance to refute the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, because this sound bite was played on national media over and over again. He said it on Friday, the day before No Kings Day to try to pre-spin the meaning of the rallies before they happened. Here it is.

Mike Johnson: Tomorrow, the Democrat leaders are going to join for a big party out on the National Mall. They're going to descend on our Capitol for their much anticipated so-called No Kings rally. We refer to it by its more accurate description, the Hate America rally, and I'm not sure how anybody can refute that.

Brian Lehrer: Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday, he doesn't know how anyone can refute that a No Kings Day rally would be a Hate America rally. The non-Mike Johnson and non-rallying world will get to decide for themselves what they think it was, but Speaker Johnson had his say, claiming his take was irrefutable. In a democracy, and it's still this much of a democracy, now you get your say if you were at a No Kings Day rally and were a No Kings Day participant. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Did you participate in No Kings Day because you hate America as Mike Johnson posits? 212-433-9692, call or text. What were you rallying to say on No Kings Day if not that you hate America? 212-433-9692, or what were you rallying against on No Kings Day? Did you carry or see a favorite sign on No Kings Day that you would like to repeat out loud here on the radio while we're still allowed? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692, call or text. Now, as your calls and texts are coming in, our newsroom had reporters out covering No Kings Day in our area. One person they spoke to was a guy named David Wildman, who said he was participating with other members of his Methodist church. Why?

David Wildman: Because this is really an affront to the gospel of welcoming strangers, of releasing captives, not imprisoning and captivating people, waging war rather than being peacemakers.

Brian Lehrer: There was organizer Ellen Flenniken from the ACLU who said people were energized for the demonstration.

Ellen Flenniken: That folks are eager to proudly, peacefully, and lawfully exercise their First Amendment rights.

Brian Lehrer: Apparently it was peaceful. The main New York Times article on the protests nationally said, "The vibe in most places was irreverent but peaceful and family-friendly. The purpose, however, was focused. Each crowd everywhere shared the same mantra, 'No Kings,'" from the New York Times. Time Magazine says millions participated in more than 2,700 No Kings rallies in all 50 states in what is thought to be the largest mobilization against the Trump administration over the president's two terms, says Time Magazine. I know there were many local ones in the greater New York area, not just the big one in midtown, so which one were you at? What was it for you?

What were you rallying to say on No Kings Day, or what were you rallying against on No Kings Day? Did you carry or see a favorite sign on No Kings Day? 212-433-WNYC, call or text. One last time, we want to give you the chance to try to refute what Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said before the day even happened, that it would really be the Hate America rally, "and I'm not sure how anybody could refute that." Are you sure? He wasn't sure. Are you sure you can refute that? If so, you get a shot at it anyway, right here, right now. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Let's start out with Deborah in Jersey City. Hi, Deborah, you're on WNYC. Thank you for calling in.

Deborah: Hi. Yes, I went to the rally in Jersey City on Saturday, and this is only my second time in a rally of protests in my 68 years, and I was protesting, I guess I was protesting against Trump and what he stands for and our regression and our loss of rights, and I was just-- because I can't stand by and sit by anymore and I'm protesting to try to save our democracy. I can refute Johnson because you can love something. You can love your country, you can love a person, but when there's something wrong with it that needs fixing, you can point that out, and you do that out of love, not hate.

The Republicans had nothing else they could say or do, so this is what they try to do, fearmongering, and it was really family friendly. We had Senator Andy Kim spoke and a lot of other speakers, and it was just really nice. I felt comfortable, and we were all there. We might not have had all the issues, but we were all united, and that's why I just can't sit down and stand by and watch democracy disappear, and like my grandniece has less rights than I do, and I can't stand by and do that. I have to do something before I leave this planet.

Brian Lehrer: Deborah, thank you so much for starting us off. Deborah talked about the love that was inherent as she saw it in her-- as opposed to hate America, the love that she saw in her participation in No Kings Day. I think Mary on the Upper West Side also used the word love to our screener. Mary, you're on WNYC. Thank you for calling in.

Mary: Thank you. I was there with my church group, and I saw a sign. It brings tears. It said, "If America is not breaking your heart, you don't love her enough."

Brian Lehrer: Wow, so rather than-

Mary: Right?

Brian Lehrer: -hate America, if America isn't breaking your heart, you don't love her enough. That was an actual sign you saw?

Mary: Yes, that was an actual sign. I took a picture of it and sent it to all my family.

Brian Lehrer: Let me ask you a question, Mary. The Times article said many had attended a similar event in June. There was No Kings Day in June, but this time the crowds included a new round of protesters. Those who said they were outraged over immigration raids, the deployment of federal troops in cities, government layoffs, steep budget cuts, the chipping away of voting rights, the rollback of vaccine requirements, the reversal on treaties with tribes and the so-called one big, beautiful bill. That's a lot. Most of those things are new since June. Were you out there on No Kings Day 1?

Mary: I was not because we weren't in the city. I was out of town, so I didn't go to it, but I was determined to go this time, and it was a very moving experience and I wanted to be counted.

Brian Lehrer: Yes, so it wasn't like something new happened between then and now that triggered you-

Mary: No.

Brian Lehrer: -like, "Okay, now I really have to go out and do this."

Mary: Well, I mean it is-- well, I take that back. My husband came with me this time and he doesn't normally attend those kind of things. He's more conservative than I am, but it's like it's enough for him, so he was a newcomer.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you, Mary. Thank you very much. Listener writes, "Great sign that I saw, 'They're eating the checks. They're eating the balances.'" We'll let that speak for itself. They're eating the checks. They're eating the balances. Maria in Morris Plains, you're on WNYC. Hey, Maria.

Maria: Hey, how are you? How's everybody? Good morning, Brian. I just wanted to share really quick that my neighbor had mentioned that she was going and I missed the first one because I was overseas, but we gathered in Morristown, New Jersey, and we were 8,000 strong, and sometimes you feel very isolated it because even though this is a blue state, there is a lot of red around us, and it's just the rhetoric and it's ridiculous.

The message that this administration spews is about brokenness and hate, and this rally was a peaceful rally, and I think I can say across the nation there were peaceful rallies, and there are messages of being united, of coming together, of looking at your neighbor and saying, "Hey, we're in this together. We love the country." One of my favorite signs were, "I love my country. I just can't stomach this administration."

Brian Lehrer: Maria, thank you for your call. Listener writes, "Joy from Ronkonkoma. I was at the rally in New York City. I was rallying to show the world that America does want to remain a democracy." She says the rally was joyful and fun. The vibe was of happiness and togetherness. "I dressed up as Rainbow Brite." Joy from Ronkonkoma writes and says, "My favorite signs were my own. I make Good Trouble umbrellas, handmade umbrellas with eight signs. They allow people to show up regardless of the weather and protect from fascist rain." Good Trouble umbrellas, says Joy from Ronkonkoma, who dressed up as Rainbow Brite. Carlos in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hi, Carlos.

Carlos: Yes, hi, Brian. I live in this country for 50 years. I'm from Peru originally. I have never seen this country fall apart as it is now, and the demonstrations were not about hating America, but were about showing this government that we are so unhappy by what's going on. It's absolutely necessary that we have more demonstrations like this, hopefully every month, until these people realize that they cannot keep doing what they're doing to the country.

Brian Lehrer: Carlos, thank you very much for your call. Jamie in Manhattan, who says he was an organizer of Saturday's march. Jamie, do I have that right? Hi. You're on WNYC.

Jamie: Yes, I was one of the chief marshals and logistics people for the march. It was just great to get people out in Times Square because Times Square is iconic and to fill it with protesters and for it to be non-violent and for us to hold that First Amendment space in New York and send out very, very clear messages, so it was just beautiful to see.

Brian Lehrer: Let me ask you a question as an organizer.

Jamie: Sure.

Brian Lehrer: There was some concern that the Trump folks would try to provoke violence, or at least were hoping that there would be violence. All the coverage that I'm seeing is about these overwhelmingly, and I haven't even seen individual reports of individual violent instances which sometimes will happen at the edges of mostly peaceful rallies. I'm not seeing much of that at all, but with the concern that Trump wants to impose martial law and wants an excuse to impose martial law, did you give as an organizer any particular direction? Obviously you can't control fringe groups who might want to come and cause violence for whatever reasons, but was there a different effort this time or any kind of effort to make sure you didn't give them?

Jamie: Yes, we had 250 trained volunteer peacekeeping marshals out on the route to help guide marchers down, to help close Times Square down, and to keep an eye out for known hecklers, some counter-protesters, and also right-wing YouTube influencers who can be very provocative. Our whole thing with the people in our crowd is we tell them don't take the bait because these agitators want to provoke something that they can catch on video and then show that they were attacked by left-wing agitators. It's really about people not letting themselves be provoked and to stay very focused, and the crowd was great. There were maybe a dozen of those kind of influencers, agitators out there, and people didn't take the bait. That is really why it was as peaceful as it was. The crowd just did great at staying focused and not letting themselves be turned that way.

Brian Lehrer: Good piece of insight, Jamie. Thank you for sharing it. Oh, Sally in Clifton was at a protest in Georgia. Sally, you are on WNYC. Hi.

Sally: Yes, hi. Thank you. I'm in Clifton, New Jersey, but I happen to be down in Savannah. Thought they might need some help, so went to the rally there at Emmet Park. There were about 5,000 people there. It was very peaceful. One of my favorite signs was "We the people stand up for the rule of law, truth and acceptance, democracy, freedom, kindness." Just a lot of joy and love, and there was actually one of the speakers started with, "Okay, let's all take a collective inhale, exhale." When have you ever heard that at a rally? It was really beautiful to breathe with everyone and just enjoy what democracy looks like, and of course, we chanted that, but I think the person that you want us to refute, I don't want to say his name or give him any more publicity than he's already getting every day at press conferences, I think he gave us the name for the next rallies.

Brian Lehrer: Which is?

Sally: We should call these next rallies, We Love America rallies, as opposed to having them in the narrative of No Kings. Let's just stop talking about them and let's just get on with the America that we want. Basic law of attraction stuff.

Brian Lehrer: How about this one, Sally? Listener writes in a text, "I would love to see a B roll of Speaker Mike Johnson spouting his line juxtaposed against happy dancing frogs and unicorns."

Sally: [laughs] Love that. Love that. Awesome. Thanks for asking. I appreciate it.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Listener writes, "I was proud to be one of 2,000 protesters in my working-class, military town of Great Falls, Montana." One more and we're going to give it to the Jersey shore. Evelyn in Neptune, you're on WNYC. Hi, Evelyn.

Evelyn: Hello. Thank you. I'm calling from Neptune, as you said. I am the president of the League of Women Voters of Monmouth County, which is the largest league in New Jersey. We have over 300 members. I was at an event in Tinton Falls. There were, I would say, 1,500 to 2,000 people there lining the street, and I was there to promote the fact that we can protest. The sign that I carried said "Vote like democracy depends on it. It does."

Brian Lehrer: Mike Johnson's statement in advance that this would be a Hate America rally, do you, as the president of the League of Women Voters there in your town, hate America?

Evelyn: Absolutely, we do not. We love America, and I was carrying a flag as well as the sign. I do want to say that his terrible words were concerning, and those of us in leadership in our league talked about whether it was safe for us to encourage our members to participate. We did have to tell people to pay attention, keep their eyes open, and we were concerned that those hateful words would lead to danger for our members. As it turns out, the one that I was at in Tinton Falls was really wonderful. It was beautiful. Probably in the course of two hours, there might have been 20 cars, maybe 30 that drove by that were shouting hateful things. All the other cars were positive and honking and supporting, so I was really glad to be there. The League of Women Voters was a national partner in this event.

Brian Lehrer: Evelyn in Tinton Falls, thank you in getting the last word in our call in on your No Kings Day rally experiences and your chance to refute what Mike Johnson-- we gave him his say. We played his clip of saying it was going to be a Hate America rally, and he's not sure anyone could refute that. You gave it your best shots. Thank you very much for calling in. Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We're just getting started.

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