50501 (originally short for "50 protests, 50 states, one day") is an ongoing political action organization 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] and another nationwide "No Kings on Presidents Day" demonstration on February 17 (Presidents' Day).[7] Thousands of people participated by gathering outside state capitol buildings and city halls during both protests.[8][7] Upcoming protests are scheduled to occur on March 4, 2025, in various locations throughout the United States.[9][10][11]
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.[12] The movement was organized by grassroots activists and spread through social media.[13] The movement used the hashtags '#buildtheresistance' and '#50501', with the latter standing for "50 protests, 50 states, one day".[14] Protestors also expressed dismay about the role of Elon Musk and his actions in the federal system.[15] 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.[15]
Signage included commentary about Musk[16] 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]
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.[12] 50501's second protest happened on February 17, being called “Not my Presidents Day”.[7]
In early February, they officially partnered with Political Revolution, a group initially created to support Bernie Sanders' 2016 political bid.[17] Another series of protests was organized on March 4.[citation needed]
Reactions by Republican officials
When asked about the protests, 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.”.[18]
When asked about the protest, the president of the Utah State Senate, Stuart Adams 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.".[19]
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”.[20]
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