Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is facing criticism from a group of hundreds of national security experts for his attack on First Amendment-protected speech and protest after he lashed out at next week’s “No Kings” rallies, which are expected to attract millions of Americans across the nation.

“The theory we have right now,” Speaker Johnson told Fox News on Friday, “they have a hate-America rally that’s scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It’s the pro-Hamas wing and Antifa people, they’re all coming out.”

Calling the protests against authoritarianism an “outrageous gathering for outrageous purposes,” Johnson later said attendees would include “the Antifa crowd, and the pro-Hamas crowd, and the Marxists.”

Other Republicans on Friday went even further, with one, House Republican Majority Whip Tom Emmer, baselessly invoking a “terrorist” claim.

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Emmer told reporters that the “terrorist wing” of the Democratic party, “is set to hold … a hate-America rally in D.C. next week.”

The Steady State, a group that includes more than 330 former ambassadors, inspectors general, flag officers, Defense and Homeland Security officials, and senior intelligence officers, blasted the Speaker’s remarks.

“Johnson is branding the planned No Kings rally a ‘hate America rally,’ warning that all the ‘Antifa people’ will be there,” the group wrote. “He calls it ‘serious business’ and claims it’s ‘hurting real people.'”

“But Johnson, a constitutional lawyer, knows better,” they said. “Peaceful protest is not only protected under the First Amendment—it is a core democratic right and a cornerstone of American freedom.”

The No Kings coalition, responsible for the upcoming rallies, also responded to Speaker Johnson.

“After a few moments of laughter, the No Kings coalition issued the following statement: ‘Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down. Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.'”

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As the nationwide anti-authoritarian “No Kings Day” protests approach, Republicans are attempting to link “Antifa” — which President Donald Trump has claimed to have designated a “domestic terrorist organization” — to Democrats, and are even claiming there is a “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party. The apparently coordinated messaging, likely an effort to shift the national conversation, comes amid mounting anger toward the GOP over the federal government shutdown.

“The theory we have right now,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told Fox News on Friday, “they have a hate-America rally that’s scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It’s the pro-Hamas wing and Antifa people, they’re all coming out. Some of the House Democrats are selling T-shirts for the event.”

Later, speaking at a press conference, Johnson doubled down, saying, “this hate-America rally that they have coming up for October 18th, the Antifa crowd, and the pro-Hamas crowd, and the Marxists, they’re all gonna gather on the mall.”

“It is an outrageous gathering for outrageous purposes,” he said, calling participants “an angry mob that’s a big chunk of their base.”

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Antifa, as former FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress in 2020, is “not a group or an organization. It’s a movement or an ideology.” Antifa stands for “anti-fascist.”

Yet, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has gone even further, calling the entire Democratic Party a “domestic extremist organization.”

“There is a large and growing movement of leftwing terrorism in this country,” Miller also claimed last weekend. “It is well organized and funded. And it is shielded by far-left Democrat judges, prosecutors and attorneys general. The only remedy is to use legitimate state power to dismantle terrorism and terror networks.”

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) on Friday told Newsmax, “October 18th is when the protest gets here, this will be a Soros paid for protest where his professional protestors show up, the agitators show up. We’ll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully, it’ll be peaceful. I doubt it as well.”

Like Speaker Johnson, Marshall — without offering any proof — claimed that the “No Kings” protests are a prerequisite for Democrats to vote to end the federal government shutdown. He did not explain why the National Guard would be required to be deployed for First Amendment-protected speech events.

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“So I think that they have to get that march done,” he said. “They have to show their protests. They have to fight like they’re saying here. This is all a political show. It’s all a political scam right now.”

House Republican Majority Whip Tom Emmer baselessly invoked the “terrorist” claim.

“This is about one thing and one thing alone — to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold … a hate-America rally in D.C. next week.”

Responding to Emmer, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) wrote: “The very people who were loudest in lecturing us on political rhetoric now label millions of Americans peacefully exercising their constitutional right to free speech ‘terrorist’ because they don’t hold conservative views. Disgraceful and unacceptable.”

Semafor’s David Weigel added: “Republicans getting very comfortable accusing nonviolent liberal groups of being ‘terrorist.'”

On Thursday, Patrick Jaicomo, a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice wrote: “Less than a year in, and almost everybody is already a terrorist?”

He listed: Illegal Immigrants, Drug Dealers, Muslims, Democrats, Antifa, Palestinians, and Federal Judges.

Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, responding to Emmer’s remarks, wrote: “Looks like everyone in my former political party has signed on to the Donald Trump/Stephen Miller game plan, which means calling Democrats ‘terrorists.’ Terrorists? Despicable. Shameful.”

“Very straightforward, they’re portraying all dissent as inherently illegitimate protest by terrorists and criminals,” observed Media Matters’ senior fellow Matthew Gertz. “What this means is that No Kings rally attendees need to triple down on being disciplined. They’re going to paint you as America-hating terrorists anyway, but don’t make it easy for them.”

“The plan seems very obvious,” Gertz added. “Find some violence anywhere near any of the No Kings protests and use it to go after the organizers and their funders.”

Emmer: “This is about one thing and one thing alone — to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold a hate America rally in DC next week.” pic.twitter.com/FKnIpFMSUY

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 10, 2025

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Facing growing backlash from Democrats and even lawmakers from his own party — as well as GOP voters — for sending the House into recess during the shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson is turning his anger toward Democrats and the broader left.

As Politico reported on Friday, Johnson is “dead set on keeping the House out of session as long as it takes to pressure Senate Democrats” on the shutdown, to pass the House’s continuing resolution to fund the government.

The Speaker suggested tensions are so high in the halls of Congress right now that he thinks Democrats need to be “physically separated” from Republicans.

“Emotions are high. People are upset — I’m upset,” Johnson said on Thursday. “Is it better for them, probably, to be physically separated right now? Yeah, it probably is, frankly.”

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Johnson, who was set to host a now-postponed private Palm Beach, Florida “retreat” and fundraiser this weekend, went even further on Friday morning.

“We’re so angry about it,” he told Fox News. “I mean, I’m a very patient guy, but I have had it with these people,” the Speaker said, emphatically, of Democrats. “They’re playing games with real people’s lives.”

“The theory we have right now — they have a hate-America rally that’s scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It’s the pro-Hamas wing and Antifa people, they’re all coming out. Some of the House Democrats are selling T-shirts for the event. ”

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“And it’s being told to us that they won’t be able to re-open the government until after that rally, ’cause they can’t face their rabid base,” Johnson said, adding that he is “beyond words.”

Johnson appeared to be referring to the “No Kings” rally, a protest against authoritarianism, which is not only being held in Washington, D.C. on October 18, but nationwide.

Mike Johnson: “We’re so angry about it. I mean, I’m a very patient guy, but I’ve had it with these people. The theory we have right now — they have a hate America rally that’s scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It’s the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people … ” pic.twitter.com/QKlHo9zRq2

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 10, 2025

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Image via Reuters