Thousands of Americans braved freezing temperatures on Presidents Day to protest against Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Protesters held up signs that read “No Kings” as they joined the mostly peaceful “Not my Presidents Day” protests on Monday.
However, chaos did erupt at a couple of events, including demonstrators trying to enter the state Capitol in Arizona, and an arrest was made in Washington, D.C., after a protester allegedly sprayed paint on a Trump supporter.
Why it matters
The 50501 Movement organized the demonstrations against the Trump administration, citing the mass deportations and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) federal cuts as some of the key motivations behind the protests.
In an Instagram post, 50501 called for a “day of action” for President’s Day, saying, “Every small act contributes to a powerful collective movement.”
They organized a similar event on February 5, with Political Revolution, a group initially created to support Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders‘ 2016 presidential bid.
What to know
Cities across the United States including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York, Orlando, and Lincoln, Nebraska, took part in the protests on Monday.
Nearly 1,000 people marched in the snow from Boston’s Statehouse to the City Hall, chanting “Elon Musk has got to go,” despite wind chill dropping temperatures into the teens.
Many wore Revolutionary War-style clothing, with signs that read “This is a Coup” and “Cowards Bow to Trump, Patriots Stand Up,” AP reports.
In D.C., an anti-Trump protester was arrested for allegedly spraying blue paint in the face of a counter-protester in a MAGA hat, on the National Mall in front of the Capitol Building.
Photos from the protest captured the demonstrator being arrested by Capitol Police, while the MAGA supporter was pictured with a streak of blue spray paint across the side of his face.
Many protesters held up “No Kings” signs in D.C., including a federal employee, who asked not to use their name for fears over losing their job, and was seen waving a sign saying “Federal Employees Don’t Work for Kings.”
In Phoenix, hundreds of protestors gathered in front of the Capitol carrying signs reading “Resist Fascism.”
Security had to step in at one point after a few protesters attempted to get inside to attend a state Senate committee hearing on legislation requiring police across the state to support federal immigration policy.
The nation-wide protests, which took aim at both Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, follows the Trump administration’s mass deportations, executive orders repealing trans protections, and sweeping federal cuts and layoffs.
What people are saying
Elizabeth Warren said in a post on X, “Presidents are not kings. And we are not powerless. In Congress and the courts—with protests and local organizing—we can expose the radicalism of Trump nominees, show how his actions hurt real people, obstruct his agenda, and put checks on his lawlessness. I will keep fighting.”
Protester Emily Manning, 55, told AP at the Boston rally, “I thought it was important to be here on Presidents Day to demonstrate for what America stands for. American values are not the values of the plutocracy or the limited few rich people.”
Phoenix protest organizer December Archer said, “We’re trying to make sure everything stays civil and stays respectable because again, we’re here to make a statement not be the statement.”
Benny Johnson, a conservative political commentator and YouTuber, said on X, “BREAKING: Democrats are dragging around an effigy of President Trump in prison clothes with a noose around his neck at an anti-DOGE protest in DC. Inciting violence. Arrest them. Sick and deranged people.”
What Happens Next
50501 are planning several more protests across the U.S. including “A Day Without a Vis,” on February 20, and a protest at Congressman Tom McClintock’s Modesto Office in California, on February 24.
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