On Presidents Day, protesters gathered around the United States to speak out against President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who are bringing sweeping changes to the federal government.
From Florida to California, local media began titling the series of protests as “Not My Presidents Day” or the “No Kings”. These protests were convened by the 50501 movement, which stands for; “50 protests, 50 states, 1 day”, with the largest protest being in Washington DC, where thousands participated.
Another national rally on February 5 was attended by individuals from various cities. Both rallies were against Mr. Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, who heads the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which the administration claims is intended to reduce federal spending. Their methods to reduce federal spending have been controversial, and arguably unconstitutional. The public and press alike fear the power Musk has over the government, leading to a growing distrust towards the multi-billionaire.
Critics argue that the DOGE initiative is a thinly veiled attempt to dismantle key federal agencies, including those dedicated to environmental protections, healthcare, and social services, and most notably USAID, with thousands of employees being fired overnight. Protesters are concerned that Musk's participation is the increasing privatization of government action at the expense of public interest. Some protesters carried signs reading "Democracy, Not Oligarchy", in reference to Bidens farewell speech, and "No Billionaire Bureaucrats," highlighting their concern about the influence of very rich individuals in policymaking.
In addition to policy reform protests, the protests featured speeches by civil rights activists, ex-public officials, and civil rights activists. The majority of speakers highlighted checks and balances in government and cautioned against power centralization. Social media facilitated the protests, with trending hashtags nationwide being #NotMyKing and #ResistDOGE. Though demonstrations stretched well into the night, the leaders vowed to continue their campaign with more rallies, petitions, and get-out-the-vote efforts throughout the upcoming election cycle.
Washington, D.C., reports indicated thousands had gathered outside the White House, chanting slogans and calling for greater transparency in governmental decision-making. Replica scenes were enacted in New York City's Times Square, with protesters across the streets clutching banners displaying Trump and Musk with crowns embossed on them and the caption "No Kings in America." Several high-profile politicians, including members of Congress, showed up at rallies, protesting what they called an "erosion of democratic norms."
Sources:
CNN-https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-administration-russia-ukraine-02-17-25/index.html
npr-https://www.npr.org/2025/02/17/nx-s1-5299915/dc-protests
AP-https://apnews.com/article/50501-protests-project-2025-trump-state-capitols-ddd341171a54ba9b498cbfe7530e18ab
50501-https://www.fiftyfifty.one/
4 comments:
Yes, the state of the presidency and federal government in America should be protested. My issue with this, I think, is mostly the sheer scale of the protests. Fifty protests across the nation is already a massive amount, but I feel like it would be justified if they were all unified under one cause or purpose. From what I'm understanding, I don't see any such thing. The protest ranges from concerns about the presidency, to Elon Musk, to Civil Rights. I guess a part of me doesn't understand the point of a protest if there's no unity involved. What does this demonstration say about the American people except that they're upset about a lot of things? Yes, it's a remarkable moment of unity, but it's also incredibly easy for a politician to ignore.
The importance of these protests and the publics reception of the new presidents Elon Musk and Donald Trump cannot be overlooked. It is rare for a presidency to already face such heavy backlash within less than 2 months of taking office, additionally by looking at recent polling data on approval Donald Trump's approval has already fallen to ~43-45% depending on the source. Thus the unrest and fury of the American people at the lack of constitutional checks and unchecked power of the presidency is driving a lot of anger with many people finally "waking up" to the harsh reality of this ever approaching dictatorship. Overall, I hope these protests continue and hopefully push for the end or stoppage of these immoral and unlawful acts before the country passes a point of no return.
Elon Musk having any power in the government is quite concerning. He basically bought his way into the government and has quite a lot of power to cut a lot of agency's budgets. Although he may not, Musk could use his power to make his company be less targeted and have agencies listen to him. Without the proper transparency he could become a powerful hand in manipulating parts of the government. There being protests about this in all 50 states highlights the need for transparency to make sure the government can run fairly.
While I agree with the constitutional right to assembly and the American freedom to protest, I do not think these protests effectively convey political messaging or sway the American public and its politicians. In recent years, there have been large protest movements for a plethora of causes, such as abortion rights, immigrant rights, BLM, the Israeli-Palestine conflict, and now, anti-Trump. Recently, protests have lost their political influence, with narratives appearing of protesters being brainwashed radicals or paid demonstrators by powerful interests. Also, protests have become bolder in disrupting the daily lives of Americans, such as blocking traffic on freeways or, in some extreme cases, clashing with police, leading to a poor public image. People are beginning to look down on protests and nuisances rather than political messages, causing the protests to lose real meaning. Also, the constant headlines lead to the oversaturation of protests in American media and life, causing them to lose their wow factor and impact.
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