On Wednesday, protesters gathered in American cities to voice their disapproval of the Trump administration’s initial policies, condemning everything from the president’s crackdown on immigration to his revocation of transgender rights and his plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
Signs condemning President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, the head of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, and Project 2025, a hard-right blueprint for American society and government, were waved by protesters in Philadelphia and at state capitols in California, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, and elsewhere.
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At a demonstration outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, Margaret Wilmeth declared, “I’m appalled by democracy’s changes in the last, well, two weeks, but it started a long time ago.” I’m merely attempting to make resistance visible.
The movement behind the protests was coordinated online under the hashtags #50501 (50 protests, 50 states, one day) and #buildtheresistance. Social media profiles and websites made calls to action, stating things like “defend our democracy” and “reject fascism.”
In Lansing, Michigan, hundreds of people gathered in the bitter cold outside the state capitol.
Musk’s access to Treasury Department data, according to Ann Arbor resident Catie Miglietti, is particularly worrisome. Drawing inspiration from Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a January speech that some have construed as a Nazi salute, she designed a placard showing Musk puppeteering Trump from his outstretched arm.
“It’s an attack on democracy if we don’t stop it and get Congress to do something,” Miglietti stated.
Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency came under heavy fire from protests in a number of locations.
On the steps of the state capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri, where dozens of demonstrators gathered, one poster said, “DOGE is not legit.” Why is Elon in possession of your Social Security number?
Congressmen have voiced worries that DOGE’s participation in the American government payment system would result in security threats or late payments for Social Security and Medicare, among other programs. A IT executive working with DOGE will have read-only access, according to a Treasury Department official.
In the first few weeks of his new administration, Trump has issued a number of executive orders addressing issues ranging from immigration and trade to climate change. Protests have increased as Democrats start speaking out against Trump’s plans.
In Austin, Texas, protesters marched through the city center. They gathered outside California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature in Sacramento and marched to Georgia’s state capitol from Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. Protests in Denver accompanied close-by Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities, and an unknown number of individuals were taken into custody. Deport Elon and “no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here” were the slogans of protesters in Phoenix.
Laura Wilde, a former Austin public school occupational therapist, stated that we must demonstrate our strength. We’re in a state of shock, I believe.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, where 28-year-old Hallie Parten was carrying a Democratic presidential campaign sign that had been changed to read Harris Walz Were Right, thousands of people demonstrated. The Minneapolis native claims that terror served as her driving force.
“Be afraid of what will happen to our nation if we don’t all just take action,” Parten warned.
Protesters affiliated with the anti-Trump movement entered the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines to disrupt an event organized by the conservative parental rights organization Moms for Liberty. For around fifteen minutes, the anti-Trump activists yelled over the rotunda’s speakers before police forced them outside and took four of them away in handcuffs.
To oppose activities against LGBTQ+ persons, several hundred people gathered outside the Statehouse in Alabama.
In keeping with Trump’s recent executive order directing the federal government to define sex as simply male or female, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey pledged on Tuesday to sign legislation stating that there are only two sexes: male and female.
The Unitarian Universalist pastor, Rev. Julie Conrady, reminded the congregation that the president believes he has a lot of power. He has no authority to decide your gender. He has no authority to determine who you are.