Protesters across the US rally against Trump administration policies
Protesters gathered nationwide Wednesday as part of a movement opposing the Trump administration's policies and Project 2025, the controversial conservative presidential wish list.
The protests, which took place largely in state capitals, were organized by an online movement dubbed 50501 -- meaning 50 protests, 50 states, one day.
The grassroots effort has been organized across social media sites using hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, calling on Americans to "fight fascism."
Protesters marched and gathered in cities including Atlanta, Austin, Boston and Philadelphia, holding signs with messages like "Silence is violence," "Defend democracy," "Impeach Trump" and "Death to fascism."
Vermont college student Andy Cole was among those protesting outside the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier on Wednesday.
"I came out here today because it's important for people to be here," Cole told ABC Montpelier affiliate WVNY. "As a young person, it's important for me to be here. As a human, it is important for me to be here."
"I would not be able to sleep at night if I didn't become engaged and didn't be active in my community, especially with everything that's happening right now," Cole continued.
In the first weeks of his new term, President Donald Trump has signed a slew of executive orders, some of which are already facing legal challenges.
Protesters on Wednesday highlighted Trump's immigration policies, carrying signs saying "No human is illegal," as the administration takes unprecedented action to remove as many undocumented migrants from the United States as possible.
Demonstrators also protested actions targeting LGBTQ+ people, the same day that Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sports. Last week, he signed an order seeking to restrict gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19.
Protesters also called to save the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which oversees foreign aid, disaster relief and international development programs.
Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said this week he was "in the process" of "shutting down" the agency with the backing of Trump, as part of efforts to trim the size of the federal government and eliminate waste.
Many demonstrators took aim at Musk in particular, highlighting his efforts to dismantle government agencies and gain access to government data. Signs with the message "No one voted for Elon Musk" could be seen at multiple protests.
Vice President JD Vance alluded to that sentiment on X on Wednesday, saying, "They did however vote for Donald Trump who promised repeatedly to have Elon Musk root out wasteful spending in our government."
Ahead of Wednesday's day of action, an Instagram account claiming to be the official account of the 50501 movement shared flyers for planned protests with phrases like "Reject fascism" and "We the people reject Project 2025."
A "Declaration of Equal Liberty" posted to the Instagram account claims that Project 2025's "rhetoric intends to divide, isolate, and alienate our society, as well as dismantle the foundational liberties of our country by attacking our institutions."
Trump distanced himself from Project 2025 on the campaign trail but went on to nominate several of its authors or contributors to his administration.
ABC News' Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
