A movement to oppose the early actions of President Donald Trump’s administration is taking off online, with plans to protest across the U.S. on Wednesday.
The movement has organized under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Many of the protests are planned at state capitols, with some in other cities.
The movement has websites and accounts across social media. Flyers circulating online decry Project 2025, a hard-right playbook for American government and society, and include messages such as “reject fascism” and “defend our democracy.”
In a coffee shop just a block from Michigan’s Capitol, organizers of a planned action there Wednesday pushed together tables, spreading out poster boards to write messages that read “No Deportations Ever!” and “Workers Unite!”
Kelsey Brianne, a key organizer of Michigan’s rally, called it a “real grassroots effort.” She learned about the movement Sunday night and has been coordinating speakers and safety protocols.
“I got involved because I knew that there was a need, and I knew what I could do,” Brianne said Tuesday. “But also I want to look back at this time and say that I did something and I didn’t just sit back.”
Local Democrats announced they have cancelled the event scheduled for Maine’s State House “out of an abundance of caution” because it had been “infiltrated by bad actors looking to spread hate, misinformation, and turmoil.”
“We have pulled our permit with the Capitol Police and any one who shows up will be considered on their own,” the Kennebec County Democratic Committee said in a Facebook post.
In New Hampshire, Concord City Democrats urged anyone attending to “be cautious” as the protest is a grassroots effort and was organized independently of their organization.
Trump has signed a series of executive orders in the first couple of weeks of his new term on everything from trade and immigration to climate change. As Democrats begin to raise their voice in opposition to Trump’s agenda, protests have also begun.
On Sunday, thousands of people marched against Trump's plan for large-scale deportations in Southern California, including in downtown Los Angeles, where protests shut down a major freeway for hours.
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, and Gabriel Sandoval in Phoenix contributed to this report. Sandoval is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
