By Decree of the King
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (111875)
United States
October 23, 2025 7:22pm CST
Why is the government shut down right now? If President Donald J. Trump is the king, why would he need permission to do anything? He could declare, by decree, that the government be open right now.
On his terms. Under his parameters. Without debate. Without discussion. Anyone disputing the order of the king could be beheaded. At the least rounded up by his horsemen and jailed.
The king, of course, does not operate under a democratic process. He is the king. His word is the word of God, the People, the Kingdom. His power extends beyond the power of any other force.
So, tell me, what were the "No Kings" protests really about? A king? Where? On what planet? In what country?
Because we would have disbanded Congress already if he declared his Kingdom. The halls of the Capitol would be useless and closed. The Supreme Court would be turning in their robes. Their decisions wouldn't matter anymore.
In a kingdom, a true one, only one man would truly reign supreme. Donald J. Trump. So how come it feels like we aren't in a kingdom at all, but a world where we have to do all the regular things we've always had to do?
Obey the law. Separate the branches of government. Follow the rules. And NOT get everything we want?
Can anyone tell me where the king of the United States is? Because I think if we're supposed to be ruled by a king...
Something is really wrong here.
14 people like this
12 responses

@porwest (111875)
• United States
24 Oct
@rebelann I'll tell you what the media should look into to, and I agree it MIGHT be as tinhatty and idea as the idea of a king in the White House, but it's if any PayPal payments landed in any protester's accounts from George Soros and his ilk, because 9 times out of 10, if it's a liberal movement, particularly a protest...
There's usually someone funding them and they want cameras put on them.
1 person likes this
@porwest (111875)
• United States
24 Oct
That's a good way to describe them. I mean, if they were really thinking things through, in a kingdom with a real king in it, could they even take to the streets to protest and speak out against the king? I think any king would likely round them up and send them to the gallows.
Instead, they just got in their cars, went home, put away their signs, and had dinner. lol
2 people like this

@2ndchances24 (11445)
• Cloverdale, Indiana
24 Oct
I've been listening to all the why's what's who's & when's
& frankly I'm with you on "The king, of course, does not
operate under a democratic process. He is the king.
His word is the word of God, the People, the Kingdom.
His power extends beyond the power of any other force."
So nothing about what they are doing makes sense
other than to argue about who wants what when & how.
2 people like this
@porwest (111875)
• United States
24 Oct
I try to approach things with a sound mind, common sense, and reason. I remember when some on the right were saying Obama wanted to be a king. I thought it was ridiculous then, and I think it is ridiculous now. We need to get back to being rational people who voice our concerns and dissent in rational, practical ways. The fact is, these people just look crazy and unhinged. And that DETRACTS from their arguments and complaints rather than pushes them forward to be considered by anyone for any serious debate.
The fact is, they don't have a real argument they can actually articulate. So, in that stead, what they do, is start resorting to nonsense hoping it has an impact and overshadows the reality that they can't really express exactly what it is they are against—or even afraid of for that matter.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (92790)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
24 Oct
Guess the US has to become a monarchy
1 person likes this

@RasmaSandra (92790)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Oct
@porwest well then for sure we might be heading for a dictatorship
1 person likes this

@noni1959 (11996)
• United States
24 Oct
I worked for the Federal Gov from 1995 until 2018 when I retired. In 1995, we had two - a five day and right after, a 21 day over major spending cuts. We were under Bill Clinton. Several of us had gone to apply for unemployment and then it reopened. We were shut down again in 2013 under Obama for 16 days over the Affordable Care Act. In 2018, right before I retired, we had 3 days under Trump at first and then it went to 35 days at the end of the fiscal year (2018/2019.) All over the boarder. People keep telling others who are barely making it to get a second job. over 2 million have lost their pay by being suspended and over 900,000 have been furloughed and it's iffy if they will get back pay.
1 person likes this
@porwest (111875)
• United States
24 Oct
To that I say; so what? And I don't say that to be mean. Welcome to the real world where a job is not a guarantee and people have to figure things out. It happens all the time in the private sector, so why do people in government think they are somehow entitled to some sort of unique immunity from reality that the very people who pay their salaries face every single day, and MUCH more frequently and often than government workers have to?
The bottom line here is that the government is shut down right this very moment because the Democrats won't vote to pass a budget reconciliation bill which requires a 2/3rds majority vote in a Congress where the Republicans only have 53-47 majority.
That is not enough to get a bill passed of this sort, of course, because 2/3rds is 60.
It is sad when anyone loses a job. Don't get me wrong. But what does a job have to do with anything, really? In the private sector it's because of profits and other driving factors that people find themselves on the bread line. In this case it's government workers due to a disagreement between parties.
There is one big difference here, though, I think is worth pointing out, and that is that most of these government workers will actually get their jobs back in a week or two when the government reopens. A luxury NOT afforded to private sector workers who were laid off for a reason.
Either way, the point is that to declare Donald Trump a king is as ridiculous as it gets. That's what this post was about.
@noni1959 (11996)
• United States
24 Oct
@porwest When I went to work there, I had been working at the college where I was reinventing my life when my disability hit full force and I had three littles to support. No, I did not have kids while single but life happens (extreme wreck - vegetable, etc.), and it was the only position back then that offered excellent benefits but low pay. I took it and grew. I was younger and could bounce back during the furlough's though very hard. I don't know what the answers are but all of this is causing a domino effect.
1 person likes this
@porwest (111875)
• United States
24 Oct
@noni1959 What domino effect are you referring to exactly? And what does it have to do with Trump? He's not the one who shut down the government. Neither did the Republicans. The Democrats did, so either I am missing your point here or your argument. Not sure which.
On the job loss thing, people lose jobs and suffer hardships. It's sad. But it's part of life. Nothing wrong or unfair about it.
@ptrikha_2 (49012)
• India
25 Oct
May be the rally could have been named as "Authentic Democracy March".
Or "No Dictator".
I do not think Trump himself is interested in making US a monarchy.
But his tendencies can be termed loosely as dictatorial.
Plus I have seen that in some cases his intentions might be Pro US, the knee jerk approach is not a good one.
At least, if I talk about his tariff moves.
@porwest (111875)
• United States
24 Oct
This is nothing new. Presidents have always made changes to cabinets and surrounded themselves with people who align with their agenda. That goes for making changes outside their cabinets as well. It has always been done this way. So, the question is...what's new? What's really happening or the perception something else is happening?
Trump also campaigned on all of this. Draining the swamp. Fixing the bureaucracy. Removing the woke. Restoring common sense and law and order.
And the people elected him to do all of these things. He won the popular vote and the electoral vote. He won every single swing state. He's not doing anything he didn't say he was going to do, loud and clear, and was given a mandate by the people to do it.
And he's doing it legally. Within his powers. Through the same process any other president has had to do it through. And within the law.
@lovebuglena (48517)
• Staten Island, New York
28 Oct
I have to say that I have no idea what No Kings is all about.
@dgobucks226 (37186)
•
29 Oct
Very powerful post and right on point!!! Enjoyed reading some of the responses, of course, they were from those rational, conservative minded folks on here.
In Trump I see someone who believes in a strong executive branch of government to get things accomplished. To suggest he's a King is a silly exaggeration. There have been other presidents who believed the same (FDR, Jackson). They were both democrats.
I also found the comment that Trump is a dictator pure folly and ignorant. Dictatorships control all aspects of its citizens life including confiscating personal property and human rights. I don't believe Trump is another Kim Jong Un of N. Korea or Joseph Stalin. I don't see him controlling the press, executing his opposition, opening forced labor camps and establishing government-controlled collectives.
Anyone advocating Trump is like those dictators I mentioned above is just reading Democrat-Leftist Media talking points and believing it without thinking for themselves. They may not like his forceful style, but that is so far from being a dictator!
Finally, I don't believe this administration has taken anything from me including my rights. Anyone who says otherwise is totally misinformed and just hates Trump.
1 person likes this

@porwest (111875)
• United States
30 Oct
These "terms" and "accusations" are largely just an alternative to really examining things for what they are, no less EXPLAINING them. I really don't think there is a single person out there who is against Trump who can truly articulate WHY, and what policies they are actually against.
Like I have said umpteen million times before, many of his policies actually lean to the Democrat side—of the old party. The only reason they aren't being accepted by the left is because the left decided to abandon these things as soon as Trump adopted them.
Protectionism and secure borders being core elements of what I am referring to here.
I will say this; if Donald J. Trump is TRULY trying to be a dictator or a king, I will side with the Democrats and agree he's an idiot. Because CLEARLY, when it comes to being those things...
He doesn't have a clue what he's doing. lol
1 person likes this

@thedevilinme (4637)
• Northampton, England
26 Oct
We had this in the UK over Brexit, the losing side not accepting the democratic vote..
1 person likes this
@Namaco21 (301)
•
24 Oct
You make a powerful point — and you’re right, we’re not living in a kingdom. In the United States, no one person, not even the president, has absolute power. The government is built on a system of checks and balances, where Congress, the president, and the courts each have their own roles and limits. That’s why even during a government shutdown, the president can’t just “declare” things open again by decree. It’s part of the process — messy, frustrating, and often slow, but it’s meant to prevent anyone from becoming a king. What you’re describing captures the very essence of democracy: shared power, accountability, and the constant tension between branches of government.















