‘If Trump was king, the government would be open’: Mike Johnson wistfully imagines the rise of King Trump I

We are now 19 days into the government shutdown, and there are no signs it’s going to end anytime soon. Negotiations between Democrats and Republicans are at a standstill, with neither side conceding an inch to the other in negotiations over Donald Trump‘s planned spending cuts.

Given that Trump and the Republicans control all three branches of government, voters are understandably blaming them for the gridlock. MAGA wants this to become the “Schumer shutdown”, but opinion polls suggest voters aren’t buying this.

Tensions have been raised by this weekend’s massive No Kings protests, but House Speaker Mike Johnson seems to be fantasizing about how easy his job would be if Donald Trump actually were the King of America.

In an interview with ABC, Johnson half-heartedly congratulated protesters on a “violence-free” day. But then went to explain that “ironically” we’d be a lot better off with King Trump I:

Mike Johnson: "We congratulate them on an apparently violent-free speech exercise … but if President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now … by the way, the Mall was open because President Trump hasn't closed it." pic.twitter.com/YXGeEB5Stm

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 19, 2025

“If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now.”

Thing is, he’s probably right. A country run under a single powerful figure who answers to no one, isn’t restricted by laws, and can act as they see fit, can indeed get an awful lot done.

Does America need a mighty king?

Why, history shows us that under a supreme ruler, civil liberties can be instantly snatched away without challenge, your political enemies driven into exile (or shot), and any pesky minorities herded into gas chambers for mass disposal.

Johnson quietly arguing that the American government would be more efficient under an absolute monarchy is spitting in the face of the founding fathers and those who gave their lives to found abd defend America as a beacon of democracy and political accountability.

The success of the United States is founded in its carefully constructed system of checks and balances that ensures no single individual can gain too much personal power. Trump and his cronies are trampling all over that system as we speak, with Trump himself openly teasing that the nation would be better off if he were a dictator.

Does all this sound ludicrous? Sure, it does, but citizens of countries across history and around the world all thought the same thing just before an individual seized supreme power, consolidated their position, and then ruled under an unaccountable iron fist.