Updated April 19, 2025 at 18:34 PM ET
Protesters turned out to demonstrate against the Trump administration in cities across the U.S. on Saturday, with organizers hoping to seize on what they say is growing resistance to anti-democratic policies.
Hundreds of protests, rallies and other actions against the Trump administration are taking place in cities across the U.S. this weekend.
In Washington, D.C., hundreds of protesters gathered in Lafayette Square outside the White House on Saturday morning to voice their opposition to the Trump administration. Demonstrators cited a range of concerns, including the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the administration's moves to cut funding for research and higher education.
Michelle Willis, a paraeducator from New Bedford, Mass., drove to D.C. on Friday with her two children.
" We have to speak out, we have to stand up and you have to keep people energized," she said.
Willis, who is concerned about funding cuts to education and mass deportations, said she has been to half a dozen protests since Trump took office. She plans to keep showing up.
"When I go home, there's another rally, I think next weekend that I'll be at," Willis said.
In New York City, protesters railed against the deportations of immigrants as they marched from the New York Public Library toward Central Park past Trump Tower.
Marshall Green, a 61-year-old who joined the Manhattan protest, told The Associated Press that he was most concerned that Trump has invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used wartime law, by claiming the U.S. is at war with Venezuelan gangs.
"Congress should be stepping up and saying, 'No, we are not at war. You cannot use that,' " said Green, a resident of Morristown, N.J. "You cannot deport people without due process, and everyone in this country has the right to due process no matter what."
The Supreme Court on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting immigrants under the act.
At a rally Lexington, Ky., protesters calling for "no kings" demonstrated across the street from the federal courthouse.
Sioux Finney, a retired social studies teacher, held up a sign that said "History cannot be whitewashed. America includes all of us."
"I want to say that we can't erase history," Finney said. "We have to stand up for those who are not being treated with justice."
Some protesters hoped their participation would grab the attention of Democratic leaders.
In Milwaukee, Gerald Leahy joined about 50 people protesting on a highway overpass in downtown. He said he has "lost faith" in the Democratic Party. "Two times they've lost to this man. That is pathetic," the 60-year-old said. "I think there needs to be a serious reboot of the party."
In front of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, Kim Jordan, 45, expressed disappointment with what she said was the Democratic Party's lack of planning to challenge Project 2025's objectives. She is a Democrat and said it's difficult to talk to people about voting for Democrats because many people "feel that the party is not listening to them."
The Philadelphia "no kings" rally, which drew hundreds of protesters, made references to the city's reputation as the birthplace of American democracy and the fact that Saturday marks 250 years since the start of the American Revolutionary War.
At a rally in downtown Cincinnati, demonstrators carried signs protesting the administration's actions on immigration, education, and its cuts to federal departments such as the Social Security Administration.
Robin Wallace was among the protesters on the march toward a federal building affected by the Trump administration's budget cuts. She said she had never protested until this year.
"Rather than staying home and feeling hopeless, the only thing I could do was try and get with other people who feel like I do right now," she said.
But she isn't sure whether marches like this will have an effect. "We've got everything stacked against us," she said.
A grassroots-led effort
Many of the Saturday protests were part of a "day of action" organized by the 50501 Movement, which brands itself as a decentralized network. The name stands for 50 protests in 50 states and one movement — referring to the group's first nationwide protest at state capitols.
More than 800 local protests, teach-ins, and mutual aid efforts were planned for Saturday in response to what organizers say are "anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration."
The White House did not respond to NPR's request for comment.
The 50501 Movement, which has orchestrated protests since early February, is one of several anti-Trump movements. The "Tesla Takedown" campaign is holding more than 100 protests this weekend, according to organizers. That group is protesting Tesla CEO Elon Musk's influential role in the Trump administration.
Hunter Dunn, the national press coordinator for the 50501 Movement, says that Tesla Takedown rallies and other similar efforts are part of the same decentralized movement. The sprawling effort encompasses any protest guided by four tenets, according to Dunn.
"We're pro-democracy, we're in favor of preserving the Constitution, we're against executive overreach, and we're non-violent," he said.
While the "Hands Off!" rallies on April 5 were billed as a day of protests, Saturday broadened the resistance effort to include community-focused events.
"It's all about actions that support your community against the Trump administration — strengthening your community so that they can weather these assaults on democracy," Dunn said.
In Southern California, for example, food drives were planned to support people who continue to struggle in the wake of the January wildfires as well as those who may be affected by the rising price of goods amid President Trump's tariffs.
"Resistance is about more than just protesting," Dunn said. "It's about strengthening your community so that they can weather these assaults on democracy, and so that they can get ready to make a better future for everyone."
The 50501 campaign says it has quickly built momentum since its first call to action. For its nationwide protest on Feb. 5, the organization estimates there were about 80 protests in 88 cities.
Likewise, as the Tesla Takedown protests enter their 11th week, organizers say momentum hasn't slowed and they have consistently seen about 150 actions globally each week.
WEKU's John McGary contributed to this story from Lexington, Ky. WVXU's Bill Rinehart reported from Cincinnati. Nick Rommel of Wisconsin Public Radio reported from Milwaukee. WHYY reporter Emily Neil contributed from Philadelphia.
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