House Speaker Johnson Defends Trump's Controversial AI Satire Video Amid Protest Backlash

House Speaker Mike Johnson defended President Trump’s AI-generated video showing him dropping feces on “No Kings” protesters, calling Trump “probably the most effective person” on social media and describing the clip as satire meant to make a point rather than a call to violence. Johnson framed the nationwide No Kings rallies as dangerous and “un-American,” alleging protesters included terrorist sympathizers, Marxists and antifa, and pointing to imagery like “86 47” signs and an effigy as evidence of incitement. He insisted protesters had the right to demonstrate but warned that mocking a president who survived assassination attempts was not a game, and he tied the episode into criticism of Democrats amid the ongoing government shutdown. Critics — including protest organizers, strategists and commentators — condemned both the video and Johnson’s defense as debasement that normalizes humiliation and reflects moral rot, questioning what point the president was trying to make. The 19-second viral clip, posted after millions attended No Kings rallies, drew widespread backlash and intensified partisan debate over protest rhetoric and political accountability.