On October 19, President Donald Trump posted an AI-edited video to Truth Social depicting himself as president “4Eva,” one day after approximately seven million Americans participated in nationwide “No Kings” protests opposing what they characterized as his authoritarian policies.
The video, which Trump previously shared in 2019, features a manipulated version of a 2018 Time magazine cover. In the AI-generated clip, campaign yard signs reading “Trump 2028,” “Trump 2032,” and subsequent election years rapidly accelerate to the year 90,000 before concluding with the text “Trump 4Eva,” set to Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.
The post came amid ongoing tensions between the president and those concerned about constitutional safeguards, particularly the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits presidents from being elected to more than two terms.
No Kings Protests Draw Historic Turnout
Organizers of the October 18 protests estimated nearly seven million participants gathered at more than 2,700 events across all 50 states, marking what may be the largest single-day protest in American history. Independent analysis by data journalist G. Elliott Morris and The Xylom estimated attendance between 4.4 million and 6.1 million participants, roughly 2 percent of the entire U.S. population.
The demonstrations, coordinated by more than 200 organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers, Human Rights Campaign, Indivisible, and MoveOn, represented an increase from the approximately five million who participated in the first No Kings protests in June 2025.
“This is what democracy looks like!”
— Protesters near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Protesters assembled in major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., as well as smaller towns throughout the American heartland. Many demonstrators wore yellow, a color chosen by organizers to symbolize solidarity with nonviolent resistance movements.
Signs at the protests conveyed messages defending democratic principles, with some reading “No Kings, No Tyrants” and “Protect Democracy”. In Houston, where nearly 25 percent of the population consists of immigrants, one sign read “Fight ignorance, not migrants”.
The protests remained overwhelmingly peaceful, though some incidents occurred as counter-protesters targeted demonstrators. In South Carolina, a woman was arrested for brandishing a firearm while driving near protesters, and in Georgia, a man was recorded on video pushing demonstrators to the ground.
Trump’s Response and Third-Term Speculation
Hours before posting the “4Eva” video, Trump shared another AI-generated clip on Truth Social showing himself wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet labeled “King Trump” while dropping brown liquid on protesters in what appeared to be Times Square.
The president’s posts intensified ongoing concerns about his repeated suggestions that he might seek a third term despite constitutional prohibitions. In a March 2025 phone interview with NBC News, Trump stated he was “not joking” about a third term and noted that “there are methods” by which it could be accomplished, though he did not elaborate.
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in February 1951 following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unprecedented four terms, explicitly states: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice”.
Constitutional law experts have emphasized the clear language of the amendment. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee to the Supreme Court, affirmed in a September 2025 Fox News interview that the amendment restricts a president’s time in office, stating, “That’s what the amendment states, right?”.
Wayne Unger, a constitutional law professor at Quinnipiac University, told Reuters that any legal challenge to the two-term limit would likely fail, adding: “I would expect the Supreme Court to respond negatively, affirming that the limit is clear”.
Any attempt to repeal the 22nd Amendment would require approval from two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-quarters of U.S. states, something that would be virtually impossible in the current political climate.
Political Reactions
Republican lawmakers condemned the No Kings protests, with some characterizing them as “hate America rallies” and blaming the demonstrations for the ongoing government shutdown, which had entered its third week at the time of the protests.
House Speaker Mike Johnson alleged the protests indicated “a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party”.
Protest organizers rejected these characterizations, emphasizing the peaceful nature of the demonstrations and their stated aim to defend democratic institutions. In Bethesda, Maryland, one protester carried a sign reading “Nothing is more patriotic than protesting”.
In a Fox News interview that aired on Friday, October 17, Trump addressed the “No Kings” label, stating: “They say I’m a king. I’m not a king”.
The president’s company website continues to sell “Trump 2028” baseball caps that urge supporters to “rewrite the rules,” despite the constitutional prohibition on a third term.
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