Republican lawmakers wasted no time Tuesday calling out Democrats for rising to applaud King Charles III during his address to a joint session of Congress, pointing to the party's recent embrace of "No Kings" protests aimed at President Trump.
Senator Ashley Moody of Florida posted on X: "Why did I just watch every Democrat in Congress stand and clap for an actual King?" She included screenshots of Democratic colleagues standing as the British monarch entered the House chamber. Vice President Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson also joined the ovation.
Charles received multiple standing ovations during his roughly 30-minute speech, including when he called the U.S.-U.K. bond "irreplaceable and unbreakable" and when he quipped, quoting Oscar Wilde, that the only thing the two nations don't share is "language." The address touched on shared history and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Republicans quickly seized on the moment. The Republican National Committee posted on X: "So, what happened to 'No Kings'?" alongside a screenshot of Democrats applauding. Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas shared a video juxtaposing Democrats refusing to stand during Trump's State of the Union address in February with their standing for Charles. "The politics of hypocrisy," Hunt wrote. "The next time a 'NO KINGS' protest rolls through a town near you, show them this."
The office of Representative Abe Hamadeh of Arizona called it "quite the confusing scene on the House floor today," noting that many Democratic colleagues who had chanted "No Kings" for months gave a monarch a standing ovation.
Since Trump returned to office, three rounds of "No Kings" protests have occurred—on June 14, last October, and exactly a month ago. The events, backed by several Democratic lawmakers, were framed as a defense of republican principles. "In America, we don't have kings," the protest website declared.
Trump himself dismissed the protests after the October rally, telling reporters on Air Force One, "I'm not a king. I work my ass off to make our country great." The White House later posted a photo of Trump with Charles captioned "TWO KINGS," adding fuel to the partisan fire.
Democrats have not directly responded to the GOP's taunts, but the episode underscores how symbolic gestures can quickly become political ammunition. The contrast between standing for a foreign monarch and refusing to stand for a U.S. president has become a fresh line of attack for Republicans as they seek to paint Democrats as inconsistent.
The king's visit, which included a White House ceremony hosted by Trump, was largely seen as a diplomatic success, but the partisan sniping over the ovations dominated post-speech coverage. For a deeper look at the address, see our live coverage and analysis of King Charles III's speech to Congress.
The broader context of U.S.-U.K. relations amid Trump's foreign policy tensions was also a backdrop, as detailed in our report on the king's address amid Trump-Iran tensions. The "No Kings" protests themselves have become a recurring feature of anti-Trump activism, as noted in our coverage of Trump's remarks about his mother's crush on King Charles.
