As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk advance their ambitious plan to reshape the federal government, a nationwide protest movement is gaining momentum in an effort to resist their changes.
Over the past several days, thousands of people have gathered at rallies led by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who have strongly condemned the administration’s policies.
“We will not allow America to become an oligarchy,” Sanders told a crowd of 34,000 in Denver. “This nation was built by working people, and we are not going to let a handful of billionaires run the government.”
At five stops across three states—Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada—Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez attracted crowds exceeding expectations. Their rallies have emerged as the largest demonstrations of Trump’s second term so far, though smaller protests have been surfacing across the country. On March 7, a “Stand Up for Science” rally drew thousands to Washington, D.C., and other cities, demanding the restoration of federal scientific funding that was cut by the administration.
Despite these growing protests, they remain smaller in scale compared to the massive Women’s March of 2017, which saw millions take to the streets following Trump’s first-term inauguration to protest his rhetoric and policies.
Tesla Takedown: Protests Against Musk’s Role in Government
Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory group tasked by Trump to address federal spending, has defended the administration’s approach.
“The country is going bankrupt,” Musk said in an interview with Fox News, referring to the national debt. “If we don’t do something about it, the ship of America is going to sink.”
However, Musk’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce and cut popular social programs have sparked a wave of protests. The “Tesla Takedown” movement has entered its fifth consecutive week, with demonstrations at Tesla dealerships nationwide. On Saturday, hundreds gathered at locations in Arizona, New Jersey, New York, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and several other states.
A “global day of action” at Tesla dealerships is planned for March 29.
“Elon Musk is destroying our democracy, and he’s using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it. We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk’s illegal coup,” reads a statement on ActionNetwork.org, a site that supports progressive activism.
Violence and FBI Response
The protests against Musk’s role in government have occasionally turned violent. Over the weekend, the FBI issued a nationwide alert warning of vandalism, including gunfire, at Tesla dealerships in at least nine states. The agency urged citizens to “exercise vigilance” and report any suspicious activity near dealership locations.
On Monday, the FBI announced the formation of a task force to investigate these attacks.
“The FBI has been investigating the increase in violent activity toward Tesla, and over the last few days, we have taken additional steps to crack down and coordinate our response,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “This is domestic terrorism. Those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.”
Tesla Takedown organizers, however, have condemned any acts of vandalism, emphasizing that their movement is committed to nonviolence.
“Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism, and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly,” Action Network stated on its website.
‘Hands Off!’ Nationwide Protests Planned
Another major test for the anti-Trump protest movement will come on April 5, when a coalition of liberal groups plans nationwide demonstrations, including a major rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. They’re taking everything they can get their hands on and daring the world to stop them,” Indivisible, the organization leading the “Hands Off!” protests, posted on social media.
Despite the growing unrest, the Trump administration remains defiant. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the protests, stating they will not deter the president’s agenda.
“Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years,” Leavitt told USA Today. “President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers across the country who overwhelmingly reelected him.”
With tensions rising and protests escalating, the coming weeks may prove crucial in determining whether these movements can effectively challenge the administration’s plans or if Trump and Musk will press forward with their agenda unimpeded.
