The nationwide "No Kings" protests that occurred on Saturday exposed a key vulnerability in President Donald Trump's administration, according to one progressive analyst.
Roughly 7 million people participated in the protest, according to estimates, making it one of the largest protests in American history. That kind of backlash shows that Trump's administration is not as popular as he claims, and that lack of popularity could foment opposition from within Trump's Republican caucus, progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen argued on a new episode of his podcast on Sunday.
"Trump derives his power from the optics of total control, but once that bubble is pierced, like say by 7 million people taking to the streets, Trump doesn't seem all that powerful afterwards," Cohen said.
Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) referred to the "No Kings" protest as the "Hate America" protest, a claim that Johnson defended during an interview on ABC News on Sunday.
"Trump also views his mandate as the result of popular support, and his fellow Republicans in Congress view their strength relative to Trump in light of that popular support," he continued. "But when that popular support wanes, then not only does Trump's own mandate diminish, but the incentive for his Republican colleagues to blindly support him does so too."
"If you think every member of Congress whose lips are normally attached to the ass of Donald Trump is not watching 7 million people flood the streets, then you are deluding yourselves," he added.