The White House dismissed the "No Kings" protests that swarmed American cities on Saturday as a "complete and utter failure."
"The so-called No Kings protests have been a complete and utter failure with minuscule attendance," communications director Steven Cheung said on X.
The protests were planned to coincide with the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade in Washington D.C. Trump's critics slammed the display, which fell on Trump's 79th birthday, as an authoritarian spectacle.
"It is sad Democrats and liberals would rather support criminals and illegals instead of celebrating the 250th anniversary of our great U.S. Army and Flag Day," Cheung wrote in an X post.
"But many more Americans are commemorating our brave military men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to serve our country."
Some of Saturday's anti-Trump protests became chaotic, with one person killed in Salt Lake City. Police found "No Kings" flyers in the vehicle of the man accused of carrying out a deadly assassination in Minnesota, which killed a state Democratic lawmaker and her husband.
While it's difficult to gauge their significance, the protests represent a resurgence in anti-Trump activism, which appeared to fizzle at the outset of Trump's second term.
Democratic leaders such as California governor Gavin Newsom, who has his eyes on the White House, have attempted to rally a new "resistance," with much of the energy focused on Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown.
The "No Kings" demonstrations came on the heels of violent anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles, where anti-Trump rioters attacked law enforcement with bricks and waved Mexican flags.
The "No Kings" protests sought to put a peaceful, patriotic face on the anti-Trump movement, casting the president, who was elected with a popular vote majority, as a tyrannical figure like King George III.
Thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday in Democratic power centers like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, although protesters avoided Washington D.C., where the Army parade was taking place.
Trump has dismissed the idea that he is a king, noting that he is involved in intricate negotiations with members of his own Republican party to pass his agenda through Congress. His priorities have also faced repeated pushback from federal judges, some of whom have shown an extraordinary willingness to step on the president's executive authority.
"I don't feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved," Trump said.
"A king would say 'I'm not going to get this ... he wouldn't have to call up [House Speaker] Mike Johnson and [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune and say, 'Fellas you've got to pull this off' and after years we get it done. No no, we're not a king, we're not a king at all."
