Folks participate within the “No Kings Day” protest on Presidents Day in Washington, D.C., in assist of federal employees and in opposition to current actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, on Feb. 17, 2025. The protest was organized by the 50501 Motion.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
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Jose Luis Magana/AP
Extra large-scale protests, rallies and different actions in opposition to the Trump administration are set to happen in cities throughout the U.S. this weekend, with organizers hoping to grab on what they are saying is rising resistance in opposition to anti-democratic insurance policies.
On Saturday, the 50501 Motion, which manufacturers itself as a decentralized community, is holding what its calling a “day of motion.” The identify stands for 50 protests in 50 states and one motion — referring to the group’s first nationwide protest at state capitols.
A whole bunch of native protests, teach-ins, and mutual support efforts are deliberate in response to what organizers say are “anti-democratic and unlawful actions of the Trump administration.”
The White Home didn’t reply to NPR’s request for remark.
The 50501 motion, which has orchestrated protests since early February, is one in all a number of anti-Trump actions. The “Tesla Takedown” campaign might be holding greater than 100 protests this weekend, in keeping with organizers. That group is protesting Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s influential function within the Trump administration.
Hunter Dunne, the nationwide press coordinator for the 50501 Motion, says that Tesla Takedown rallies and different comparable efforts are a part of the identical decentralized motion. The sprawling effort encompasses any protest guided by 4 tenets, in keeping with Dunne.
“We’re pro-democracy, we’re in favor of preserving the Structure, we’re in opposition to govt overreach, and we’re non-violent,” he mentioned.
Whereas the “Hands Off!” rallies on April 5 had been billed as a day of protests, Saturday broadens the resistance effort to incorporate community-focused occasions.
“It is all about actions that assist your neighborhood in opposition to the Trump administration — strengthening your neighborhood in order that they will climate these assaults on democracy,” Dunne mentioned.
In Southern California, for instance, the 50501 spokesman says meals drives are deliberate to assist individuals who proceed to battle within the wake of the January wildfires in addition to those that could also be affected by the rising value of products amid President Trump’s tariffs.
“Resistance is about extra than simply protesting,” Dunne mentioned. “It is about strengthening your neighborhood in order that they will climate these assaults on democracy, and in order that they will get able to make a greater future for everybody.”
The 50501 marketing campaign says it has rapidly constructed momentum since its first name to motion. For its nationwide protest on Feb. 5, the group estimates there have been about 80 protests in 88 cities.
The trouble expects to see near 1,000 occasions nationwide this weekend, in keeping with Dunne: “And possibly greater than that — we can’t find out about till after they occur.”
Likewise, as Tesla Takedowns enters its eleventh week of protests, it says momentum hasn’t slowed and has constantly seen about 150 actions globally every week.
