Anti-Trump protests planned across 50 US states on Saturday | Here’s what we know
From Washington DC’s National Mall to the streets of Chicago, thousands are expected to gather this Saturday in what organisers say will be the largest single-day protest against US President Donald Trump since his return to office in January.
Protesters gather on the National Mall for the nationwide “Hands Off!” protest against US President Donald Trump and his advisor, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in Washington.(AFP)
The coordinated wave of rallies follows the nationwide “Hands Off!” protests, which mobilised over 10 million protesters across all 50 states and several international cities.
The demonstrations were held in response to Trump’s sweeping policy decisions and the rising influence of his billionaire ally, Elon Musk.
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On Saturday, events are scheduled not just across the United States, but also in Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Mexico and Portugal. One of the biggest rallies is expected to take place on Washington’s National Mall.
If the turnout matches expectations, cities like Washington DC and Chicago could become epicentres of a growing protest movement pushing back against each executive order, agency layoff, and budget cut.
Largest anti-Trump protest since Jan: 10 points
Anti-Trump groups, including the 50501 movement, are organising nationwide protests across the United States on Saturday, targeting 11 million participants.The 50501 Movement, which means 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement, is pushing back against what it calls executive overreach from the Trump administration. It’s organising started on Reddit.More than 400 events have been scheduled nationwide for April 19, including rallies, protests, nature cleanups and food drives.Massive demonstrations have been planned across the country, including in Daley Plaza downtown in Chicago, where the protest is being called “The People’s Protest: Joy as Resistance.”According to the Herald Times, Progressive Lakeshore People will host an anti-Donald Trump demonstration on Saturday from noon to 1:30 pm at Washington Park, 1115 Washington Street.Protests have also been planned for Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Lisle and Barrington.Demonstrations at Washington Park will reportedly include singing, chants and short talks from community leaders. Co-organiser Jill Iverson said they plan to continue hosting such rallies in the coming weeks and months.Tomorrow’s protest follows April 5 ‘Hands Off!’ demonstrations where millions of people across the country protested against President Trump and his policies.The first 50501 protest was organised on February 5, “a decentralised rapid response to the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies,” its website said.Backlash against the Trump administration has also targeted Elon Musk’s involvement in the government and his sweeping cuts across the federal bureaucracy via DOGE.
Elon Musk’s DOGE is under fire
Criticism of the DOGE initiative, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team has scythed through the US government, eliminating more than 200,000 jobs from the 2.3 million federal workforce, and has been the driving force behind these protests.
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On Friday, the Internal Revenue Service began laying off more than 20,000 workers, as much as 25% of its ranks.
Several hundred people gathered outside the headquarters of the Social Security Administration, a top DOGE target, near Baltimore to protest against cuts to the agency, which delivers benefits to the elderly and disabled.
Trump returned to office on January 20 with a stream of executive orders and other measures critics say are aligned with an agenda outlined by Project 2025, a deeply conservative political initiative to reshape government and consolidate presidential authority.
While anti-Trump protestors took to the streets to express their discontent, his supporters have applauded Trump’s audacity as necessary to disrupt entrenched liberal interests.
