More than 1,200 rallies worldwide protest against Trump and Musk
The World’s Most Protest against the Power Grab by President Donald Trump and Musk: A Memoir of a Young, Active, Social, and LGBTQ+ Population
The couple said they joined multiple protests back home too, including one against the opening of a Tesla showroom. Both 77 years old now, they said they were too young to join demonstrations during the Vietnam War, but now they are committed to their activism.
In the US and around the world, people are gathering to protest against the power grab by President Donald Trump and Musk. They’re being put on by over 150 different organizations, including civil rights groups, labor unions, and LGBTQ+ advocates, and span more than 1,200 locations.
Since President Trump took office in January, various protests have taken place against his administration’s plans and policies — from the mass firing of federal workers to immigration raids to the involvement of billionaire Elon Musk in the federal government.
“There are so many issues,” said Kelley Laird from Rockville, Md., who attended a rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. They are coming after education, health care, the arts and the press.
In Boston, protesters gathered to push back against the federal cuts on research and against the arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student who was arrested by federal agents in plain clothes, as member station WBUR reported.
In Sylva, N.C., over 300 people came together to oppose cuts to national parks, education and veteran services, according to BPR News. In Portland, a crowd of several thousand people are against the power grab by Trump and Musk.
In D.C., thousands filled the grass near the Washington Monument, holding up signs supporting reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, Social Security, veterans benefits, and opposing tariffs.
“Sisters of the resistance”: defending freedom, Social Security, and free speech in the U.S. after Trump took office
Laird and her neighbors said they formed a group chat after Trump took office this year. They use the group chat, named “Sisters of the resistance,” to coordinate attending protests together and offer support.
The retired federal worker, who was at the D.C. rally with her husband, said she is trying to take part more often. I had to take action because I was so frustrated by what’s happening in this country that I don’t want to live in anymore.
The military oath they took to protect Americans is what they view it to be, according to veterans Colleen Boland and Sonia Lundy.
We took an oath to protect against foreign and domestic enemies, and I don’t think eitherSonya or I ever imagined we would have to kick in on that domestic part of the oath,” he said.
They’re worried about the future of veterans’ benefits. While the White House has insisted that the Trump administration will not make cuts to Social Security benefits, there are plans for major changes, including the closure of dozens of Social Security offices; the elimination of thousands of jobs; and a new policy that will require more stringent identity checks.
The Mirmelsteins were in a bus caravan that was taken to the D.C. rally by the Indivisible Charlottesville group. At the protest, the Mirmelsteins held up signs that read: “Hands off our Constitution, rule of law, Social Security, free speech, health care,” and “Save our democracy.”
My colleague Lauren Feiner, who attended the protest in Washington, DC, said the protest there “is very big, thousands here around the Washington monument.” She said it was very peaceful, with attendees listening quietly to the speakers and chanting in response.
Last weekend, the Tesla showrooms in the US were targeted by protesters to show their disapproval for Musk, the company’s CEO, who has spearheaded an effort to carry out mass federal workforce layoffs. As Tesla’s sales have plummeted this quarter, Musk has threatened to “go after” the company’s critics, while the FBI has created a task force to investigate individual acts of vandalism and other actions aimed at the company.
