In a fiery segment on The View, cohost Joy Behar launched a sharp critique against House Speaker Mike Johnson, condemning his characterization of planned nationwide “No Kings” protests as “hate America” rallies and accusing him of a profound double standard when compared to the January 6th insurrection.
The clash began after Johnson, at a press conference, preemptively dismissed the over 2,500 planned demonstrations. The 53-year-old Speaker claimed the events would be populated by the “far-left of the Democrat party,” including “the Marxists, the socialists, the Antifa advocates.”
“I really resent that he calls it a hate rally,” Behar asserted, setting the tone for the discussion. Drawing on her own history of activism, she added, “I’ve been around — we protested the Vietnam War. Many of you remember that.” After a silent pause from the audience, she quipped, “I guess not! I guess I’m the oldest one in the room!”
To illustrate the spirit of peaceful protest, Behar displayed the iconic image of a woman placing a flower in the barrel of a soldier’s rifle. “See, this woman is giving a flower to these guys who are holding guns,” she explained. “That, to me, is a symbolic photograph of how people feel when they’re protesting. We’re not here to start trouble, we just want you to hear us. And that flower is a symbol.”
The “No Kings” movement, which organized the protests, states on its website that it is a “peaceful movement” formed in response to President Donald Trump’s “authoritarian power grabs” and his administration’s “chaos, corruption, and cruelty.”
Behar’s cohosts quickly rallied to her point. Ana Navarro, who attended a “No Kings” rally in June, emphasized, “This is not about hating America, it’s about loving America. It’s about showing up to defend American values and democracy.” She issued a direct warning to potential protesters: “They want you to get violent. They want to be able to show the images of there being trouble, so do not take the bait. Remain peaceful in your protests.”
The conversation reached its peak when Behar directly challenged the hypocrisy she sees in Johnson’s stance. She pointedly contrasted his condemnation of the “No Kings” protests with the downplaying of the January 6th Capitol attack by some Republicans.
“Get your priorities straight,” Behar demanded of Johnson. “There were nooses, there were calls for the death of Vice President Mike Pence… Cops were assaulted. And they’re worried about this?”
She was referencing Republican Representative Andrew S. Clyde’s 2021 description of the January 6th insurrection—which resulted in at least seven deaths—as a “normal tourist visit.”
The panel questioned what exactly Johnson was “so scared of.” Sara Haines suggested the Speaker “clearly doesn’t recognize” that protesters are often motivated by love for their country and a desire to see it improve. Sunny Hostin argued that a “true leader” would listen to the message behind the mass demonstrations, pointing to the ongoing government shutdown and its impact on thousands of unpaid federal workers.
“There’s a real problem with Republican leadership and this Republican shutdown,” Hostin stated. “And we have the ability to say that in this country!”
The segment concluded with a unified message from the table: framing peaceful protest as an act of patriotism and labeling Johnson’s comments as a misguided attempt to discredit a movement grounded in a defense of democratic values.
