Although the United States is supposed to be a country founded upon ideals of growth, the mechanisms Americans use to initiate change are under attack. The Trump administration has pushed the fallacy that peaceful protests are unpatriotic, which will ultimately discourage any possibility of political innovation. 

In June, Donald Trump openly stated that anyone who tries to protest at his military parades hates America. Following the recent No Kings parade, Trump posted a nationally embarrassing AI video on Truth Social of himself s—tting on American protests, both literally and figuratively.

Trump is certainly not the only political figure to label these protests as unpatriotic. Speaker Mike Johnson recently referred to an upcoming No Kings protest as the “hate America rally.”

Tom Emmer, majority whip in the House of Representatives, also called the protests “hate America” rallies and said the protestors “just do not love this country.”

In response, John Favreau, Barack Obama’s former speechwriter stated, “Those of us who will be participating next weekend in what Emmer calls a ‘hate rally’ for ‘terrorists’ love our country—particularly its promise that we’re all created equal, that we all have the right to speak freely, to enjoy equal protection under the law, to believe what we want, and to choose our leaders without fear of reprisal.”

Favreau’s comment highlights the true meaning of political protest in a democratic country: constructive criticism. We’re raised to believe that we cannot grow without constructive criticism, yet statements from Trump and Johnson give the impression that our government no longer believes in this principle. 

While this redefined idea of patriotism may seem like a paradox, I believe that true patriotism does not lie in the mindless support of societally ingrained ideals, but rather the constant questioning of our core beliefs. It is only through discourse, debate, and disagreement that we achieve real political innovation. 

In Chapter Two of On Liberty, John Stuart Mill said, “Only through diversity of opinion is there, in the existing state of human intellect, a chance of fair play to all sides of the truth.” 

Whether you agree with a movement or not, the right to protest forces us to debate those core issues. How can we find the truth if we cannot debate it? Forced acceptance and agreement are more dangerous than we even realize. 

History tells us that criticism fosters progress. Women did not get the right to vote until protestors like Susan B. Anthony marched into the streets and demanded it. Black Americans did not obtain civil rights and voting protections until they forced the government to pay attention. Gay Americans would not have gained the right to get married if they hadn’t fought for it. 

At the same time, Johnson and Trump’s words emphasize the government’s fear of this power. 

Look no further than the images of peaceful Civil Rights protestors being slammed with water jets and threatened with police dogs to realize that the power truly lies with the people. If we truly believe something, we must utilize nonviolent, direct action, but we’ll certainly receive blowback.

“We the People” might be a hollow phrase, echoed by politicians and plastered on mugs, hats, and shirts to emphasize our history. But our identity as “the People” means something greater: we have a duty not only to uphold the Constitution, but to utilize it. 

Utilizing constitutional rights—the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly—is the most patriotic thing an American can do. To appreciate our country, our tradition, our democracy, we must exercise the rights that so many fought and died for. 

Non-violent protest is simply a tenet of American patriotism. To discourage it is to abandon our core values. 

Protesting doesn’t undermine the American agenda. In fact, it furthers it. We are said to be a nation of progress, but we can only achieve this progress by using our rights. 

I can’t emphasize enough the importance of activism in a country that is encouraging passivism and political apathy to force us to accept whatever we’ve been handed. If you want to see a change, it is more critical now than ever before that you speak out. Progressivism is patriotism. Criticism is patriotism. It’s time we go out and affirm that.