WASHINGTON — Thousands gathered in Washington D.C. and across the country on Monday, protesting actions by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who is gutting federal agencies in an attempt to reshape the government.
Around 4,000 people were near the U.S. Capitol, chanting Elon Musk has got to go!” and “No one elected Elon!” amid several federal workers being threatened to resign or be fired by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The crowd also called on Congress to act, chanting “Where is Congress?” and “Do your job!” despite 40-degree temperatures and high wind gusts.
The nationwide protests were part of the 50501 Movement, which stands for “50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement” in a response to what organizers called “the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration.”
In Atlanta, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Georgia State Capitol to oppose the Trump administration. Meanwhile, in California, people packed the sidewalks outside the Tesla store on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.
“We knew Trump was bad, but we didn’t know Elon was going to be the President. I think we’re kind of pissed off about that, and things are going in the absolute wrong direction,” said one protester.
Over 1,000 people took part in the group’s San Jose rally, holding up anti-Trump signs and calling his recent policies illegal.
The protests come amid Musk’s attempt to gut the federal workforce at the Department of Education, USAID, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, whose staff includes researchers working on cancer treatment, opioid addiction, prosthetics, and burn pit exposure.
The cuts also include 5,000 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services and one-tenth of the workforce at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Trump has defended the cuts as necessary to eliminate government spending, waste, and fraud.
