Thousands turn out for nationwide ‘50501’ protests against Trump

• Thousands of protesters joined demonstrations across the U.S. over the weekend, denouncing what they consider to be the Trump administration’s increasing assault on American democracy. Mobilizing under the banner “50501,” the demonstrations echoed “Hands Off!” protests that took place two weeks ago.
• Chief among the demonstrators’ concerns were immigrant detentions without due process, cuts to the federal workforce, and the administration’s defiance of court orders.
• While the Trump administration was largely the focus of the demonstrations, some protesters who identify as Democrats took umbrage with their own party’s failure to hold the White House accountable.

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Thousands of protesters joined demonstrations across the U.S. over the weekend, denouncing what they consider to be the Trump administration’s increasing assault on American democracy. Chief among their concerns were immigrant detentions without due process, cuts to the federal workforce, and the administration’s defiance of court orders.

Mobilizing under the banner “50501” –– or 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement –– the demonstrations echoed the “Hands Off!” protests that took place two weeks ago, targeting President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser, Elon Musk, who oversees the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Similar protests were planned this weekend outside Musk’s Tesla dealerships.

While many of the protests took place in major metropolitan areas such as San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, Washington D.C. and Manhattan, others took a more symbolic turn.

‘Shot heard ’round the world’ echoes to this day

At a reenactment commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord, as well as the “shot heard ‘round the world” which kicked off the Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775, demonstrators gathered to draw a parallel between the current state of American politics and that which the Founding Fathers rebelled against.

“This is a very perilous time in America for liberty,” said 80-year-old Thomas Bassford, who attended the event with his partner, daughter and two grandsons. “I wanted the boys to learn about the origins of this country and that sometimes we have to fight for freedom.”

The administration’s defiance of court orders

Connecticut resident Melinda Charles, who attended a march that extended from the New York Public Library, past Trump Tower, to Central Park in Manhattan, said she was worried about “executive overreach” and the Trump administration’s defiance of court orders. “We’re supposed to have three equal branches of government,” Charles said, “and to have the executive branch become so strong, I mean it’s just unbelievable.”

Democrats are ‘losing faith’ in their party

Though the Trump administration was largely the focus of the 50501 protests, so too did demonstrators, some of whom identify as Democrats, take umbrage with their own party.

Gerald Leahy joined a small group protesting on a highway overpass in downtown Milwaukee, and told NPR that he’s “lost faith” in the Democratic Party, adding it needs a “serious reboot.”

Similarly, in Philadelphia, Kim Jordan said she struggles to talk to people about voting Democrat because many people “feel that the party is not listening to them.”