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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized the "No Kings" movement protests on Wednesday, noting that these demonstrations "frequently display communist flags" and that this will not win over the people in Florida.
DeSantis posted on his X profile the video where a member of his own team asks him: "Governor, what do you think about the 'No Kings' rallies?"
In response, he downplayed the seriousness of these demonstrations and stated that the fact that constant protests are taking place is exactly proof that there is no monarchy in the United States.
He added that those who seek to influence public opinion in Florida are making a mistake by displaying communist symbols, as such images turn voters away in the state.
The protests that prompted their reaction took place on Saturday, March 28, when millions of people mobilized at more than 3,000 locations across the 50 states and in international cities, in what was described as the third national day of the movement, with estimates of up to nine million participants.
In Florida, more than 70 events were registered, with gatherings in Orlando, Sanford, Miami, and other cities in the state.
The protests were driven by the war with Iran, the rising prices of fuel and food, and the deportation policies of the Trump administration.
The presence of communist flags at the protests has also been noted by conservative media.
Fox News published an investigation identifying 500 groups with combined revenues of around 3 billion dollars annually behind the calls.
Among the organizers are communist and socialist groups funded by Neville Roy Singham, a self-proclaimed communist businessman exiled in China, and the organization Indivisible, connected to financier George Soros, which led the coordination of the main event in St. Paul, Minnesota.
This ideological mix within the movement has provided arguments for Republican figures like DeSantis to discredit the protests among the electorate in Florida, a state with a strong community of Cuban, Venezuelan, and Nicaraguan exiles who are deeply sensitive to communist symbolism.
During the protests in Miami, a Cuban woman confronted protesters on Calle Ocho shouting "Down with communism!", in an episode that garnered significant attention.
The Republican activist Justin Wilmeth described the presence of communist flags at protests labeled "No Kings" as "high comedy."
DeSantis had already warned in June 2025, ahead of an initial wave of protests from the same movement with over 70 planned events in Florida, that he would respond with an iron fist to any disturbances, vandalism, or attacks on police, promising to "set an example" of those responsible.
His anti-communist rhetoric is a constant in his political discourse, particularly significant in Florida given the electoral weight of the Cuban-American community and other Latin American exiles who fled communist regimes.
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