President Donald Trump capped a day of mass demonstrations with provocation, posting an AI video that shows him in a crown piloting a jet labeled “King Trump,” buzzing over Times Square as Kenny Loggins’s “Danger Zone” blares, then dumping brown sludge on “No Kings” protesters below. The clip appeared late Saturday on Truth Social after nationwide rallies drew millions, with more than 2,600 events organized across all 50 states.
The 19-second clip, posted on Truth Social, is as crass as it sounds. Trump’s crowned avatar dives low over New York City, tips its wing, and releases a torrent of muck onto a crowd of demonstrators. Coverage from mainstream and conservative outlets alike confirmed the details, including the Top Gun-style soundtrack and “King Trump” emblazoned across the jet.
It was hardly the only AI flourish from Trump’s circle that night. Vice President JD Vance amplified a separate AI video on Bluesky depicting Trump in regal cosplay, a crown forming on his head as a cape unfurls, and he draws a sword. That montage ends with real footage of Democratic lawmakers kneeling to honor George Floyd in 2020. The White House and Vance have leaned into these viral meme-style posts in recent weeks, brushing off criticism that the content is demeaning or divisive.
Democrats called the sewage clip offensive, but they also used it to underscore their message. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted photos of himself with New York protesters, writing, “We won’t allow Trump to keep eroding our democracy.”
Republicans fired back, saying the “No Kings” slogan was overblown. House Speaker Mike Johnson mocked the movement, arguing that if Trump were truly a monarch, the government shutdown wouldn’t exist. “If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now,” Johnson wrote in one viral post. Another widely shared meme reminded protesters that America already celebrates its own “No Kings Day” on July 4, also known as Independence Day.
Organizers said Saturday’s demonstrations were part of a growing “No Kings” campaign that began in June alongside the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary parade in Washington, D.C.. This event also happened to coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday. The latest wave of protests spanned major cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and New York, with thousands marching in smaller towns as well.
The White House has turned to AI-generated imagery more frequently as Trump continues to spar with critics online. Earlier this month, he reposted a digitally altered video depicting his former budget director as the Grim Reaper, and another mocking Democratic leaders as “traitors.” The sewage clip fits neatly into that pattern: part culture war, part performance art, and all outrage bait.
To Trump’s supporters, the cartoonish clip is a harmless jab at protesters who they say take themselves too seriously. To his opponents, it’s another sign of contempt for free speech and dissent. Either way, the timing was unmistakable. On a day when millions took to the streets to say America doesn’t have kings, Trump hit “post” on a video crowning himself and pressing the dump button.
