The “No Kings” protest across the nation added up to nearly 7 million people protesting President Donald Trump’s reign. Dissent is upon us, catching and spreading.

Shakespeare’s King Lear, King Charles I of England and King Louis XVI of France met fates that upended their eras. Two kings literally lost their heads. Here’s the deal, straight up: Rulers can’t run roughshod over the ruled, with no restraints.

The grand palace at Versailles did not need another ballroom.

Charles I and Louis XVI were so hated for their excesses that both were put on trial for treason. Each was guillotined, in 1649 and 1793, respectively — in public. The London and Paris populaces witnessed their final moments. What a thing, to see a king overthrown like that. The groan traveled through the assembled crowds.

We are not living in those centuries of monarchy. Such a fate is not in store for Trump. History has progressed since then. Impeached twice, Trump is master of escape from punishment for his crimes and misdeeds. No other American political figure has his brazen talent for cold revenge.

Like Lear, a fictional king of England, Trump acts out rages that raise questions about a volatile state of mind. Lear had a stormy heath; he has the Oval to rant, rave and revel in a cabinet of sycophants. Lear goes insane by the last scene, losing what he loved most.

Cut to: Here in 2025, Chicago and Washington, San Francisco and Madison, Wisconsin; New York, Boston and Seattle, along with hundreds of small towns coast to coast, like Deer Isle, Maine. Legions showed up in force to defend democracy in America. The peril is real, not far from front doors, kicked in by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Chicago and Washington, the cities most badly battered, seem to shout out the most spirit. Let’s just say King Donald, who’s seized absolute power over Congress, the Supreme Court and the federal government, best not taunt this rising tide of anger nine months since he was sworn in. For his own good.

But the golfer in chief could not resist releasing a cartoon post of a crowned king relieving himself over his people. Honestly.

Raw contempt for peaceful protest (a right) only makes Trump’s “war within” worse. I don’t think we blue-city residents yet realize how much he stokes fires and personally burns against us.

Authoritarian Charles I started a civil war and clashed with Parliament over its rightful role in governing. That was ultimately his undoing. After his death, the fierce Puritan military leader Oliver Cromwell was set to succeed as “lord protector.”

A former member of Parliament, Cromwell ironically dissolved Parliament himself. The arts froze in London. At his death, King Charles II returned for the “Restoration” period.

This Republican Congress has not defied Trump, not once. The shutdown shadow has loomed over the land since Oct. 1. It’s almost as if they’re not there, just strutting and speaking words that signify nothing but extreme loyalty to Trump.

In past times of political crisis, the parties met to work something out through bargaining or compromise. Perplexing to many, rookie Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to come to the table. His Louisiana district voters stand to lose a lot in health care coverage. He doesn’t love them less, but the religious zealot says he feels chosen for this moment, to serve his master Trump.

In fact, Johnson has kept the House out on recess during the shutdown, just as Charles I refused to call Parliament in session. Right now, as medical premiums are about to jump this fall, Democrats in Congress hold on to that single issue hard. They feel time is on their side, and they’re not surrendering soon.

Finally, the French Revolution, bloody and messy, spelled death not only for the king but for the ancient feudal system. Remember “L’etat, c’est moi”? A republic was being born. “With regret, I pronounce this fatal truth: Louis must die so that the nation may live,” one leader famously said.

So the Senate grapples with partisan combat in the Capitol as we the people yearn for rebirth, not death, for our democracy as we have known it.

The author may be reached at JamieStiehm.com. To find out more about Jamie Stiehm and other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, please visit creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM