John Washington III Asks Who Gave Government the Right to Speak for Him and His Family

John Washington III is pressing a consent argument at the center of his 2028 presidential campaign. In a written statement, John Washington III asked: "WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SPEAK FOR ME AND MY FAMILY WITHOUT MY CONSENT?" He directed the question, he wrote, to the United States Government and to every state government in America.

John Washington III grounded the argument in the Declaration of Independence. He wrote that the Declaration says governments get their just powers from the consent of the governed, and he asked when he gave his consent and when his family gave theirs. Being born under a government, he wrote, does not mean he personally agreed to every decision it makes, and he added: "GOVERNMENT MUST NOT CONFUSE LEGAL AUTHORITY WITH UNLIMITED CONTROL!"

John Washington III also argued that an agreement made by a group speaks for that group, not for everyone else, and that he and his children hold constitutional rights. He closed the statement with a demand for anyone claiming to represent him: he wrote, "If you claim to speak for me, show me where I agreed, show me how you're representing us, and answer to the people whose lives you affect."

The statement is the latest in a series of written questions John Washington III has put to government officials and to the political parties as he campaigns for the 2028 presidential nomination.