Cowardly, Pathetic Sycophant: Speaker’s Bizarre Defense of Trump’s Provocative Video Raises Eyebrows
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended Donald Trump’s viral AI-generated video of him flying over protestors in a fighter jet and dropping feces on a crowd holding the “No Kings” banner, sparking public outrage. Trump uploaded a video showing a faux airplane flying above protesters yelling against “kings” in U.S. politics. According to Johnson, the video is “satire” and Trump may be “the most effective person who’s ever used social media” to make a point.
Johnson responded at a press conference to queries about whether Trump’s visual metaphor incited violence. Johnson stated Trump targeted the gatherings’ “message”—violent rhetoric and calls for fascists to die—not American individuals. He claimed that the “No Kings” protests were “hate America” rallies due to extreme language in some of the signage. He saw the video as a commentary on that message, not a threat.
Johnson’s phrasing was quickly criticized by social media and political pundits. Many wondered how a video showing a politician defecating on people could be disregarded as satire, especially when the speaker of the House was condemning peaceful protestors’ posters and shouts. Johnson was labeled a “cowardly, pathetic sycophant” on X. No limit,” while another commentator asked bluntly: what “point” was a video of a national figure flying a jet and dumping waste on Americans and the flag?
Critics also noted an obvious double standard. Police noted that the “No Kings” protests gathered enormous numbers nationwide and were mostly peaceful. Johnson focused on Trump supporter-bashing placards and slogans rather than the constitutionally protected protesters. Tone and symbolism remain ignored in the video. One media analyst called the diarrhea video ‘satire’ but the rally posters threats against Trump. Make sense.”
Another complaint stated Johnson was using a common defense tactic—calling contentious or offensive material from his allies “humor” or “satire” but labeling the opposition’s communication as harmful. The online debate delegate wrote: “The issue is closed and the media will move on from something that would have been a weeks-long scandal had a Democrat done it.” Journalists and free-speech defenders worry about political message parity.
Trump proceeded to call the weekend protests ineffectual and “not representative” of the nation. During a weekend press conference, he stated, “I’m not a king…” I put my all into making our nation great. That’s it. I’m no king.” Johnson, however, used the phrase to prove the film and protests were satirical rather than aggressive or divisive.
Politicians’ use of provocative media, defense of it, and accountability for transgressive imagery are raised by the exchange. Speaker Johnson is at the top of legislative leadership, but his defense of the video has received bipartisan criticism and highlighted rising dissatisfaction with spectacle-driven politics. One wonders if this will change political debate or just be another flashpoint quickly forgotten by the next headline as the people and media process the situation.
Sources
Raw Story competitor article
ABC News
Yahoo News
AOL News
The Daily Beast
