Massive Protests Break Out In Several US States Against Trump, Musk, DOGE, Project 2025: 'Deport Elon'

Demonstrators gathered in cities across the United States on Wednesday to protest against the early actions of the Trump administration, condemning measures ranging from the President's immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

According to AP, protests took place in Philadelphia and at state capitols in California, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, and beyond.

Protesters waved placards denouncing President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk-who heads Trump's newly created Department of Government Efficiency-and Project 2025, a radical right-wing blueprint for American governance and society.

"I'm appalled by the changes in democracy over the last, well, specifically two weeks-but it started long before that," said Margaret Wilmeth at a protest outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. "So I'm just trying to be part of the resistance."

The protests stemmed from a movement that gained traction online under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, symbolising 50 protests in 50 states on one day. Social media accounts and websites issued calls to action, with messages such as "reject fascism" and "defend our democracy."

Outside the State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, hundreds gathered despite freezing temperatures.

Catie Miglietti, from the Ann Arbor area, expressed particular concern over Musk's access to Treasury Department data. She held a placard depicting Musk as a puppeteer controlling Trump, a reference to Musk's straight-arm gesture during a speech in January, which some have interpreted as a Nazi salute.

"If we don't stop it and get Congress to take action, it's an attack on democracy," Ms Miglietti said.

Many of the demonstrations focused on Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency.

"DOGE is not legit," read one sign outside the state Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri, where dozens had gathered. "Why does Elon have your Social Security info???"

Members of Congress have raised concerns that DOGE's involvement in the US government payment system could pose security risks or lead to missed payments for Social Security and Medicare. A Treasury Department official stated that a tech executive working with DOGE would have "read-only access."

Since the beginning of his new term, Trump has signed a series of executive orders covering areas such as trade, immigration, and climate change. As opposition to his agenda mounts, protests have continued to increase.

In Austin, Texas, demonstrators marched through the city centre, while in Atlanta, Georgia, they gathered at Centennial Olympic Park before marching to the state Capitol. Outside California's Democrat-controlled legislature in Sacramento, large crowds assembled.

In Denver, protests coincided with Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, which resulted in an unspecified number of arrests. Protesters in Phoenix chanted, "Deport Elon" and "No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here."

"We need to show strength," said Laura Wilde, a former public school occupational therapist from Austin. "I think we're in a state of shock."

Thousands took to the streets in St Paul, Minnesota, where 28-year-old Hallie Parten carried a Democratic campaign sign altered to read, "Harris Walz Were Right." The Minneapolis resident said she was motivated by fear.

"Fear for what is going to happen to our country if we don't all just do something about it," Ms Parten said.

At Iowa's Capitol in Des Moines, anti-Trump demonstrators entered the building to counter an event hosted by the conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty. Protesters shouted over the speakers in the rotunda for approximately 15 minutes before law enforcement intervened, removing four people in handcuffs.

In Alabama, several hundred gathered outside the Statehouse to protest against policies targeting LGBTQ+ individuals.

On Tuesday (4 February 2025), Alabama Governor Kay Ivey vowed to sign legislation declaring that there are only two sexes-male and female-mirroring Trump's recent executive order defining sex in federal policy as strictly male or female.

"The President thinks he has a lot of power," the Reverend Julie Conrady, a Unitarian Universalist minister, told the crowd. "He does not have the power to determine your gender. He does not have the power to define your identity."