Randi Weingarten's ‘No Kings' push shows teachers union is prioritizing activism over education: source
Over 1,500 rallies will be held against Donald Trump across the USA tomorrow as part of what organizers have dubbed 'No Kings Day.'
Critics say unions taking part are undermining their members by taking an overtly partisan stance. The American Federation of Teachers, American Postal Workers Union, and Communications Workers of America are all listed as partners of No Kings Day.
AFT president Randi Weingarten is set to speak at the Philadelphia No Kings Rally.
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8 Randi Weingarten spoke at a No Kings Day virtual town hall and is expected to appear at a Saturday rally.
@rweingarten/X
School choice activist Corey DeAngelis told The Post Weingarten's involvement reveals 'that teachers unions are more invested in political activism than in prioritizing education.'
'Their actions expose them as little more than an arm of the Democratic Party, pushing a radical agenda that puts taxpayers on the hook for funding the K-12 education of illegal immigrants,' DeAngelis said.
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Weingarten spearheaded a No Kings town hall on Tuesday, declaring the event is 'about strong public schools, supporting working families, and our fundamental freedoms.'
8 More than 1,500 No Kings Day protests are planned for Saturday.
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The Zoom call also featured Democrat Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Al Sharpton.
'The people are the most important decision makers in the country. Not a king, not a dictator,' Weingarten said during the call. She is set to speak at the Philadelphia event, and the AFT has an entire webpage of volunteer opportunities populated with No Kings Day events.
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Weingarten has also promoted the event to her more than 100,000 followers on X.
'Where was this outrage from Randi Weingarten when her local affiliates fought to keep schools closed for years during the COVID era?' DeAngelis asked.
8 An interactive map shows hundreds of protests, spread across every single state.
nokings.org
8 Christy Walton took out an ad in the New York Times promoting the protests.
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'Imagine if Randi Weingarten fought half as hard to improve public education. Maybe then more than a quarter of American kids would be proficient in math.'
The protests are billed as a counter to the Army's 250th anniversary military parade in DC, as well as the president's 79th birthday, which falls on the same day.
The rallies are expected to disrupt hundreds of cities in all fifty states, and have been backed by activist organizations like Black Lives Matter and the ACLU.
The day's military parade will travel down the National Mall in Washington DC and will reportedly include uniforms, arms, and vehicles from every major American war, starting with the Revolutionary War, then moving on to display more recent Abrams tanks and P-51 Mustangs.
8 Organizers of No Kings Day say the event is a 'rejection' of 'authoritarianism.'
AP
No Kings Day organizers have dubbed the parade 'a made-for-TV display of dominance,' while their own events on Saturday are 'a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration' – somehow omitting the president was overwhelmingly democratically elected just seven months ago.
Jamie Bauer, a representative of No Kings, told The Post that they have indication that their crowd could exceed 75,000 in New York City alone. Other 'flagship' rallies are planned in Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Charlotte, and Atlanta.
No Kings is orchestrated by the 50501 Movement (short for 50 protests, 50 states, one movement), a grassroots anti-Trump group that reportedly formed on Reddit.
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8 Senator Chris Murphy said the call gave him 'chills' and lauded protesters.
No Kings June 14/ YouTube
8 Florida Representative Maxwell Frost attended Thursday's planning call.
No Kings June 14/ YouTube
8 Organizers say they won't hold a No Kings Day rally in DC on Saturday.
Aashish Kiphayet/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
They first held a No Kings rally on February 5th, then another on President's Day, and a third in March.
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No Kings pledged not to hold a rally in DC, after President Trump warned that protesters at the military parade would face 'very heavy force.'
'Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together,' the group declared on their website.
But Trump, for one, doesn't agree with the characterization of him.
'I don't feel like a king, I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,' he said on Thursday. 'We're not a king at all, thank you very much.'
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