What's the difference between a king, a dictator, and a tyrant? By Hal M. Brown

I suggest the next national protest be renamed No Dictators, or better yet, No Tyrants.

This story has been given a lot of coverage. Here’s the HUPPOST story about it.

This should elicit a “well, duh, this ought to be obvious you brainwashed eejit” response and need no explanation.

This means you Megan McCain and everyone else saying this. Her’s what she tweeted with a few replies. (You can read all of them here.)

For the one person who may stumble on this Substack I searched the question “what’s the difference between a king and a dictator?” and this is what came up on the AI search assist:

If you’ve been reading my recent Substacks about the No Kings protests

you know I noted that Indivisible is offering both No Kings and No Dictators signs.

You also saw Ann and I with the custom made signs I ordered for the No Kings protests we went to.

I didn’t depict Donald Trump as Hitler. I just put orange hair on a drawing I found on a poster that said No Fascism and changed that to Hitler.

There are signs that make it clear the the Hitler referenced is Donald Trump. (They are simple to make thanks to the Hitler making the Charlie Chaplin toothbrush mustache infamous.)

None of this bullshitting would have happened if Indivisible hadn’t named their protests “No Kings.” I’d speculate that at the time of the first No Kings protest on Trump’s birthday, June 14th, there may have been discussion as to what to call it. Wikipeda says:

The No Kings protests, also known internationally as the No Dictators or No Tyrants protests, is a series of demonstrations, largely in the United States, against what the organizers describe as authoritarian policies of Donald Trump and corruption in his administration^. Protests took place on June 14, 2025 (labelled as No Kings Day by the participants), on the same day as the U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade and Trump’s 79th birthday. Further No Kings protests took place on October 18, 2025.

In countries with constitutional monarchies such as Canada and the United Kingdom, the alternate “Dictators” or “Tyrants” titles were favored over “Kings” to avoid confusion with anti-monarchic movements; Hawaii did the same to avoid confusion with a King Kamehameha Day parade held on the same day.

Looking back I certainly understand why the stronger “No Dictator” or “No Tyrant” name wasn’t used. Trump had not demonstrated fully implemented his ruthless and cruel dictatorial intentions. We can, with considerable justification, use the more evocative, though some may say, inflammatory, term “Hitlerian.”

My preference is that the next national protest not be called “No Kings.” I prefer “No Tyrants” over “No Dictators” primarily because it has been used less frequently. I find it a harsher sounding word as well. The term tyrant also fits a duly elected president who becomes tyrannical:

Dictator and tyrant are both terms used to describe individuals who hold absolute power and exercise it in an oppressive or authoritarian manner. However, there are subtle differences between the two. A dictator is typically someone who seizes power through force or manipulation and rules with absolute authority, often without any legal or constitutional basis. They tend to concentrate power in their own hands and suppress any opposition or dissent. On the other hand, a tyrant is someone who abuses their power and uses it to oppress and exploit the people they govern. While a dictator may have initially gained power through undemocratic means, a tyrant can also emerge within a democratic system, gradually eroding freedoms and rights. Ultimately, both dictators and tyrants are characterized by their disregard for the well-being and rights of their subjects. Reference with more explanation

If you don’t think Trump deserves to be considered either a ruthless dictator or a tyrant consider this:

What do you think? Please

Several violent incidents have been reported at the No Kings protests.

Here’s a video of one of them:

RawStory reported on two others:

Bad news:

Recommended reading:

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