50501 movement

This article is about the political movement. For the protest events themselves, see 50501 protests.

50501 movement
"50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement."[1]
FormationJanuary 2025; 3 months ago (2025-01)
Founderu/Evolved_Fungi[1]
TypeGrassroots movement
Purpose
Location
  • United States
MethodsProtesting, boycotting, civil resistance, direct action
FieldsPolitical movement
Websitewww.fiftyfifty.one
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50501 (short for "50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement", originally an abbreviation of "50 protests, 50 states, one day") is a political action organization founded to protest the policies and actions of the second Donald Trump administration in the United States.[3][4] The group organized a nationwide demonstration on February 5, 2025,[5][6] another nationwide "No Kings on Presidents Day" demonstration on February 17 (Presidents' Day),[7] and a third demonstration on March 4, 2025.[8][9] Thousands of people participated by gathering outside state capitol buildings and city halls during these protests.[10][7]

Background

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Discussions of a nationwide protest started circulating on social media in late 2024. According to organizer Kay Evert, the movement started on Reddit, with activist organizations eventually joining in.[11] The movement claims it was organized by grassroots activists and spread through social media.[12] The movement used the hashtags "#buildtheresistance" and "#50501", with the latter standing for "50 protests, 50 states, one day".[13] Protestors also expressed dismay about the role of Elon Musk and his actions in the federal system.[14] One protester stated "I'm here because Elon Musk is where he's not supposed to be. He is in our pocketbooks," as well as concerns about accessing confidential and personal data, lack of legal jurisdiction, and the unelected status of Musk.[14]

Signage included commentary about Musk[15] and a spokesperson for the group emphasized that Musk is a target of the protest, stating "We are still very much calling for the removal of Elon Musk. We find it very concerning that there is a non-government official that has the access that he does," as well as the desire for stronger anti-discrimination policies.[1]

History and protests

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Main article: 50501 protests
50501 protest at the Ohio Statehouse in February 2025

The idea for 50501 started as a Reddit post by user Evolved_Fungi in late January, quickly gaining traction on social media. 50501's first protest occurred on February 5, 2025.[1] The organization claimed there to be 72,000 protesters at 67 protests across 40 states.[11] 50501's second protest happened on February 17, being called “Not my Presidents Day”.[7] In early February, they officially partnered with Political Revolution,[16] a group initially created to support Bernie Sanders' 2016 political bid[17] (not Our Revolution, the political action organization founded as a continuation of Senator Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign[18]). Political Revolution put up a live list[19][20] and map of protests hosted by the 50501 movement shortly afterwards.[citation needed] K Starling, of We (the People) Dissent collected[21] protests from four sites onto one list[22] and an interactive map, for 22-28 March 2025 and 5 April 2025.[23]

Another series of protests was organized on March 4 which was hosted in numorus state capitals and major cities across the US.[8][9] The movement plans on hosting another rally in Washington, D.C. and other locations on April 5 with the support of the Womens March, a feminist organization that organized the third largest protest in American History in 2017.

Reactions by Republican officials

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When asked about the protests, Minnesota Representative Pete Stauber said: “For the past four years, we saw the Biden administration allow millions of illegal immigrants into this country unchecked and spend enormous amounts of money on things the American people didn’t need and couldn’t afford. Today, we are dealing with the ramifications of those terrible decisions. President Trump was elected by the American people to shake up the status quo and enact real change, and that is exactly what he is doing. I am glad to see the Trump administration reexamine our country’s spending, secure the border, and negotiate better deals with our nation’s trading partners. We are entering a new American era marked by strength and prosperity, and I think all of us in northern Minnesota stand to benefit from his leadership.”[24]

When asked about the protest, Stuart Adams (president of the Utah State Senate) said, "I think people are a little frustrated, but I also think President Trump's moving forward, and it's not going to be business as usual. And I think some of it's actually refreshing that we've got a president who will hit issues head on, deal with them and try to try to get things changed.... I think we need to give him some time to see the results of his action. I think to actually criticize something before the policies actually have a chance to have the effect that they’re trying to achieve, I think is probably premature.".[25]

South Carolina governor Henry McMaster commented: “I don’t know what happened in other states, but I mean they were protesting, they were well-behaved. That’s how you do it”.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Duster, Chandelis (February 16, 2025). "Protests are set to take place on Presidents Day. Here's why". NPR. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Demonstrators across 50 states look to unify a disparate opposition to Trump and his sweeping agenda | Fox 59".
  3. ^ Addison, Brandi D.; Francis, Maria. "What are 50501 protests? What to know about anti-Trump, Project 2025 movement in Texas". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  4. ^ Lee, Morgan (February 5, 2025). "Thousands across the U.S. protest Trump policies". PBS News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  5. ^ Deliso, Meredith (February 5, 2025). "Protesters across the US rally against Trump administration policies". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  6. ^ "Anti-Trump protesters rally at state capitals". NBC News. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "'No kings on Presidents Day' rings out from protests against Trump and Musk". AP News. February 17, 2025. Archived from the original on February 17, 2025. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Graves, Mark; Nakamura, Beth. "Hundreds of protesters descended on downtown Portland around noon Tuesday to decry the Trump administration on the day the president is set to address Congress". oregonlive. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Carter, William. "Third set of 50501 protests set for Maryland and across all 50 states today". WBAL Baltimore News. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  10. ^ Ruberg, Sara (February 5, 2025). "Anti-Trump Protesters Across the U.S. Gather to Condemn White House's Policies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Crowley, Kinsey. "What is 50501? What to know about movement sparking protests around the US". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on February 8, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  12. ^ "What are the "50 States" anti-Trump protests? What to know about 50501". Newsweek. February 4, 2025. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  13. ^ Lee, Morgan (February 5, 2025). "Protesters in cities across the US rally against Trump's policies, Project 2025 and Elon Musk". AP News. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Hundreds gather at State House, march through Boston Common in protest of President Trump". WHDH 7News. February 5, 2025. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  15. ^ Leingang, Rachel (February 16, 2025). "'A particularly heinous villain': a disdain for Musk has sparked protests across US". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  16. ^ "About Us". The Political Revolution. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  17. ^ "50501 protests update as anti-Trump march in 50 states expands". Newsweek. February 4, 2025. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  18. ^ "Bernie Sanders's New Political Group Is Met by Staff Revolt (Published 2016)". nytimes.com. August 24, 2016. Archived from the original on August 25, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  19. ^ "search: Explore events". Political Revolution. Retrieved April 5, 2025. Powered by Mobilizon
  20. ^ "Gather ⋅ Organize ⋅ Mobilize". Political Revolution - events.pol-rev.com. Retrieved April 5, 2025. Powered by Mobilizon
  21. ^ Starling, K. (March 22, 2025). "A Map of Protests March 22-28". We the People Dissent. substack. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  22. ^ "List of Protest March 22-28". Google Sheets. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  23. ^ Starling, K. (April 4, 2025). "April 5 Protest: Guide & Map of 1268 Locations". We the People Dissent. substack. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  24. ^ Gendron, Michael (February 6, 2025). "50501 Day protest held in Duluth". WDIO.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  25. ^ Romero, McKenzie (February 5, 2025). "Hundreds of Utahns join nationwide protests of Trump administration • Utah News Dispatch". Utah News Dispatch. Archived from the original on February 7, 2025. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  26. ^ "Hundreds gather at SC State House to protest Project 2025". WIS 10. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
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