Watching Dave Rubin squirm through the strangest moments from this past weekend’s “No Kings” rallies was equal parts entertaining and instructive. Rubin’s clip, shared by his team, showed a host who refuses to pretend both sides are morally equivalent — and his reaction to the chaos on display was as clear-eyed as it was hilarious. Conservatives should be grateful someone with a platform is calling out the left’s excesses without bowing to the media’s demand for false balance.
The “No Kings” demonstrations have become a recurring spectacle, staged across thousands of locations and drawing massive crowds on June 14 and again on October 18, 2025, as organizers touted multi-million turnout figures. What began as protests against perceived authoritarian tendencies in the Trump administration has morphed into a full-scale cultural performance, with theatrical costumes, coordinated messaging, and a heavy presence from national organizations. Americans watching from home see a movement that’s less spontaneous civic outrage and more centrally managed activism.
But the spectacle hasn’t been harmless. Several cities reported clashes and arrests as police tried to keep the peace while dealing with aggressive rhetoric and opportunistic violence. Los Angeles, Denver and other metropolitan areas recorded a string of arrests after confrontations at the rallies, underscoring that these mass events can quickly turn disorderly when organizers encourage inflammatory framing. The media’s habit of downplaying the law-and-order consequences is a dangerous selective blindness.
Even more troubling is how the left’s leaders and their media allies weaponize emotion while ignoring the uglier elements within their own ranks. President Trump’s camp responded with an outrageous AI-created video mocking protesters — a vulgar move, but one that also exposed how both sides are now using technology to escalate cultural warfare. The reaction to that video — and the outrage from connected celebrities over its use of music — shows how performative outrage has replaced sober debate in our public square.
Mainstream outlets are desperate to frame every public expression of conservative concern as authoritarianism, while giving soft cover to the left’s aggressive tactics and extreme messaging. Data from on-the-ground surveys during the rallies revealed an attendee profile the legacy press loves to ignore, proving these events are overwhelmingly driven by partisan activists rather than a cross-section of disaffected Americans. It’s long past time to call out the two-tiered standard: one set of rules for conservative speech, another for organized leftist activism.
That’s why voices like Dave Rubin matter. Rubin’s tour — including appearances abroad — isn’t just about boosting his brand, it’s about forging an international conversation for free speech, skepticism of state power, and common-sense civic norms that too many elites in media and academia have abandoned. Conservative and classical-liberal commentators are finally building platforms that bypass the gatekeepers, and Rubin’s willingness to challenge both the left and the cowardly center is a model for others.
We should also acknowledge leaders on the right who have inspired a new generation to defend free expression and debate, rather than cede the creative and cultural levers to the left. Figures who have encouraged young people to argue boldly, think critically, and reject cancel culture deserve credit for shifting the narrative back toward individual liberty. The left may have the institutions, but conservatives are reclaiming culture one courageous voice at a time.
If you want to preserve the America our parents handed us, stop letting the corporate press define reality for you. Watch, think, and support independent platforms that don’t kneel to the mob or the narrative police; people like Dave Rubin are proving that principled, funny, and unapologetic conservatism still resonates. The fight for free speech and honest debate is far from over, and it’s time hardworking Americans stood up and made their voices heard.
