Thousands Organize on Days of Mass Protest Against Trump Administration

Thousands organized at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Presidents’ Day to protest Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s actions since Trump took office. Source: Geoff Livingston / Wikipedia

“50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement.” This is the rally cry of the FiftyFiftyOne movement, a grassroots organization that led in the coordination of mass nonviolent protests across the United States on February 5th and 17th. 

The first day of mass protest on February 5th came after the FiftyFiftyOne movement took to social media to mobilize citizens outraged with the Trump administration. In just a few days, grassroots organizers were able to coordinate over 80 peaceful protests in all 50 states. Less than two weeks later on Presidents’ Day (what FiftyFiftyOne dubbed “No Kings Day”), the people once again organized by the thousands across the country. Protestors gathered outside of state capitol buildings, courthouses, city halls, and other locations to protest the significant changes to the federal government that President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have implemented since Trump took office on January 20th.

FiftyFiftyOne describes these days of protest as a response to the “anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies.” Since taking office, Trump has signed a slew of executive orders, many of which have been criticized for executive overreach and unconstitutionality. Some of the highly controversial executive orders that were focused on during the protests include tariffs on trade partners, a pause on U.S. foreign aid, banning the federal government’s recognition of transgender individuals and “gender ideology,” and the ending of birthright citizenship. Organizers also criticized Trump and Musk for mass firings of federal workers across several agencies, ordered by the DOGE. Signs across the country read phrases like “No one voted for Elon Musk,” “Stop the coup,” and “No kings in America.” In Washington, D.C., where thousands gathered at the Capitol Pool, demonstrators voiced their frustrations with Congress for not intervening, chanting “Where is Congress?” 

Despite pressure from constituents, the Republican-dominated Congress has not taken any action to place checks on any of Trump’s legally questionable executive orders, such as the freeze of congressionally approved USAID funds. However, federal Judges across the U.S. have been blocking executive orders on the basis of constitutionality. For example, four federal judges have blocked the executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship, arguing that this violates the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. 

The mass protest gained significant state and national news coverage, which FiftyFiftyOne says shows the world that “the American working class will not sit idly by as plutocrats rip apart their democratic institutions and civil liberties while undermining the rule of law.” The movement encourages citizens to continue to speak out, organize, and contact their state representatives in Congress. FifyFiftyOne’s website provides a link for people to find local grassroots actions across the nation, such as marches and boycotts. 

The high turnout and media attention garnered by the FiftyFiftyOne movement has inspired other mass demonstrations, such as the economic blackout on Feb. 28, organized by The People’s Union USA. These movements gaining traction across the country can serve as a beacon of light for citizens feeling powerless while the executive branch disrupts the checks and balances at the core of our Constitution. This very document protects the people’s right to free speech and assembly, an important catalyst for bottom-up change in our country’s past and, as demonstrators across the country are hoping, its future, too.