Mark Ruffalo joins ‘No Kings’ protests, calls Trump ‘King, dictator’; netizens thank him for ‘standing for democracy’

Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo, who was among the thousands of “No Kings” protestors marching down fifth avenue in Manhattan against US President Donald Trump‘s alleged authoritarian behaviour, cited the reason of joining it as the “democracy in real-trouble”, while stating Trump has made himself “a king and a dictator” and the opposition is not ”powerful enough to stand up against the trampling of our rights”. Netizens have thanked him for “standing for democracy and freedom”.

“Because we see our democracy’s in real trouble. We see a president who has made himself a king and dictator, and we don’t see an opposition that’s powerful enough to stand up against the trampling of our rights and the trampling of the Constitution that’s happening every single day, with executive orders, with the refusal to obey court orders, with the kidnapping of immigrants, people who are here legally, people whose children are being taken from them. We’re disgusted and we’re scared, and we know the only way to fight this now is for the people to come together,” Ruffalo told MSNBC channel.

“This president does not care about any of our Founding Fathers’ principles. One of the reasons we separated the military from the Executive Branch was because we were leaving countries where dictators were using the military against the people. We’re seeing it already happening in California; it is sending a message to the American people that the Constitution means nothing, and it’s spitting — literally spitting — on our military members and the history of this country, which has been to fight fascism and dictatorship throughout the world,” he stated.

‘Reimagination of America, reestablishment of our democratic principles’

Ruffalo added, “They’re pointing the guns in the wrong direction — it’s not the immigrants who are taking anything, it’s not that there isn’t enough for everyone in this country; it’s that there’s a few very, very, very wealthy, powerful people who are taking too much. It’s the billionaires and it’s the people in power that are taking from the American people, which is leaving us feeling desperate. This is the answer to that; this is the reimagination of America and the reestablishment of our democratic principles.”

In response to the forced removal of Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after he raised concerns about the mass detention of both documented and undocumented immigrants, Mark Ruffalo said it signalled a shift toward authoritarianism. He warned that such actions marked a turning point and predicted that similar incidents would become more frequent as the administration continued to overreach.

Ruffalo emphasised that people would not remain silent or disappear in the face of these developments. He explained that their presence, even in the rain, was a demonstration of love and solidarity—for each other and for the country. He mentioned that, in his view, unless someone was Native American or Mexican, they were, fundamentally, an immigrant.

Netizens react

One of the users said, “Mark always standing on business – what a gem of a human.” Another stated, “I’ve now added one more reason to my list of why I like him. Talented actor and solid man!” “He is a special human being”, “He is a green gigant for a reason. Mark you are amazing!!!”, “Love Mark standing for democracy and freedom! Thanks!💙🇺🇸” were some others comments made.

Other celebrities such as Jimmy Kimmel, Kerry Washington joined thousands marching across cities ranging from New York City to Austin to Los Angeles, now a central flashpoint in the growing conflict between local communities and federal policy. In response to widespread opposition to the aggressive escalation of ICE raids, Trump has deployed 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles without the approval of state leaders.

Chants of “USA! USA!” echoed as the Republican took the stage, a massive platform set up in front of the White House, for a parade that officially celebrated the 250th anniversary of the US Army, coinciding, perhaps notably, with Trump’s own birthday.