In the United States of America, there are no kings. And as much as Donald Trump wants to put on a shiny little crown and act like a monarch, he is not a king. And he will never be a king. Never.

When you ask Republicans and Trump about this weekend, they claim a No Kings Rally is anti-American.

They are wrong. Hundreds of thousands of people peacefully standing up for what they believe in – that’s deeply American. That is patriotism.

Standing up to a wanna-be dictator — that’s patriotism.

Protecting health care for millions of Americans — that’s patriotism.

Defending federal workers who make our country run — that’s patriotism.

Saying no to troops occupying our cities — that’s patriotism.

Peacefully protesting to protect our democracy — that is patriotism.

Look, I won’t sugarcoat it. This year has been hard. It’s been a nightmare.

Donald Trump and Republicans are ripping health care away from millions of Americans.

They’re playing a chaotic tariff game that is increasing the cost of everything from groceries to housing to cars.

They’re sending troops to invade our cities. Our own military in American cities is threatening our people.

They’re canceling funding that Congress already approved.

They are breaking the law.

Republicans in Congress have the power to put a stop to this. It would take only a handful to vote with the Democrats and say that Donald Trump has to follow the law.

But it seems like the Republicans in Congress have all had their spines removed. All these Republicans can do is bend the knee to Donald Trump.

All this time, Trump thought that doing one terrible thing after another would scare us, confuse us, make us curl up into a little ball and want to give up.

He is wrong. The American people do not bow down to kings. We organize. We march. We stand up. And we do not back down.

At No Kings rallies across the country, Americans proved this weekend that when we lift our voices and engage in peaceful protest, the people hold the power. We’re showing Donald Trump and these spineless Republicans what democracy looks like.

To every person who attended a rally: you give me hope. And to every single one of you out there, wondering if things will get better: Don’t give up the fight.

Don’t lose this fire. Because we need it now more than ever.

This fight will be long, but this fight is important.

Today and every day, we persist.

— Elizabeth