A wave of nationwide protests swept across the United States on Saturday, as citizens mobilized in a powerful show of resistance against President Donald Trump and his administration.
Branded the “50501” demonstrations, representing 50 protests across 50 states under one united movement, activists gathered at state capitols, courthouses, and city halls to denounce what they see as authoritarian overreach and a persistent attack on civil rights and democratic institutions.
More than 80 events were staged, combining public rallies with community efforts like food drives and donation campaigns aimed at supporting those hardest hit by the administration’s policies.
“We are sending a clear and urgent message to the country and to those in power: the people are paying attention, we are organizing, and we will not accept authoritarian overreach, fascist policy, or the dismantling of our rights under the Constitution,” said Sarah Parker, one of the national coordinators for the 50501 movement, during an interview with CNN.
She added, “The administration’s continued targeting of marginalized communities, the criminalization of dissent, and the erosion of civil liberties demand a response — and this is ours.”
In Washington, DC, demonstrators assembled near the White House and the residence of Vice President JD Vance, who was in Rome meeting with a senior Vatican official. Trump, meanwhile, spent the day at his golf club in Virginia.
Andy Zee, a spokesperson for the group Refuse Fascism, which organized a parallel protest in the capital, highlighted the administration’s refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident wrongly deported to El Salvador.
“The Trump fascist regime must go and we’re here to demand that Kilmar Abrego Garcia be released,” Zee declared as crowds chanted and waved placards bearing messages such as “Give me liberty or give me death.”
The Trump administration has accelerated immigration enforcement efforts, with critics pointing to a spike in deportations and arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Among the controversies is the removal of Abrego Garcia, whose deportation is viewed by many as a violation of due process and a potential trigger for a constitutional crisis.
The 50501 movement was born from a Reddit forum launched on January 25, shortly after Trump’s inauguration.
Since then, it has blossomed into a grassroots force, staging four large-scale national protests in the last four months.
A major protest on April 5 saw over 1,400 “Hands Off!” rallies held across the country, targeting federal buildings and demanding an end to perceived corruption, budget cuts to vital programs, and discriminatory policies.
Activists have also staged “Tesla Takedown” protests across the US, Canada, and Europe, opposing Elon Musk’s alignment with federal staffing reductions.
“We are fighting back against a system that is failing the most vulnerable. We are fighting for democracy, for bodily autonomy, for freedom of expression, and for communities that have long been ignored and attacked by those in power,” said Parker. “This is not just a protest — this is a movement to reclaim our future.”
In the crowd near the White House, demonstrators expressed concern over immigration, budget cuts, and a perceived erosion of rights. Among them was Bob, a 64-year-old Department of Defense employee who preferred to withhold his last name for fear of reprisal.
Though self-described as “fiscally conservative but socially liberal,” Bob said cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Trump administration spurred him to protest for the first time.
“I feel like people are veterans that come to serve our country earn benefits. They deserve to have those benefits provided for them, and the VA medical health service provides those benefits,” he said. “Ten years ago, we were complaining about how long the waits were in the VA and stuff, and how the VA wasn’t funded properly. Now, 10 years later, we’re cutting over to staff by 80,000 — that’s ridiculous.”
Veterans Affairs Secretary, Doug Collins, previously confirmed that the goal of cutting 80,000 VA staff members was a deliberate objective.
Bob also criticized Trump’s trade policies, saying the tariffs negatively affected his retirement savings and forced him to consider picking up extra work rather than retiring.
Gihad Elgendy, another protester, spoke out about the administration’s stance on free speech and immigration, citing the arrest of Palestinian refugee Mahmoud Khalil after demonstrations at Columbia University.
Elgendy said deportations like those of Khalil and Abrego Garcia raise serious concerns about First Amendment rights. “Trump could easily pressure El Salvador to bring him back” if he wanted, he added.
Emily Yanisko, a graduate education professor at American University, said she joined the protests after learning about the Trump administration’s demands sent to Harvard University on April 11, which included halting DEI initiatives and investigating alleged antisemitism.
“It was about time somebody stood up to (the Trump administration),” she said. “The amount of weight that (Harvard has), they actually have the wherewithal to be able to stop them potentially,” adding that her own university may not have the resources to push back.
Holding a sign that read, “Hands off higher education, stay strong Harvard,” Yanisko stressed the role of education in safeguarding democracy.
“If we’re not allowed to teach the truth, and we’re not allowed to prepare our students to go into the world and do good works, then what are we doing?” she asked.
