There was coast-to-coast opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration during a national day of protest on Saturday, April 5.
In nearly 1,300 locations in all 50 states, millions of Americans took to the streets to protest the incumbent administration.
There were nearly two dozen planned “Hands Off” rallies in New Jersey, including in Toms River and Red Bank. At a rally in Montclair, U.S. Senator Cory Booker spoke to the crowd of roughly 8,000. Booker told the rally-goers, “the power of the people is greater than the people in power.”
According to organizers, the Red Bank rally drew a crowd of roughly 3,500 people.
According to the latest Gallup poll released March 16, Trump has a 43% favorable rating and a 53% unfavorable rating.
The protests, the largest and most widespread of his second term, shared common themes opposing the mass firing of federal workers, immigration raids, and Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Many Democratic members of Congress joined protests in their respective districts and states as the party struggles with low approval ratings among their own voters for a perceived lack of fight against the Trump administration.
Organizers of Boston’s “Hands Off” rally, which drew tens of thousands of protesters, told ABC News, “the federal administration thinks this country belongs to them – and that they’re above the law.”
There were no reported arrests or major disturbances at any of the over 1,000 organized rallies across the United States.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, in a Fox News interview, dubbed the protestors, “lunatics”, and said, “these far-left activists who don’t stand for anything, they only stand against Donald Trump, and they hate….The Democrats have officially become the party of crazy.”
In a social media post on X, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia and a staunch Trump ally said, “they’re not protesting policies, they’re protesting democracy.”
50501, the group leading the rallies, has organized another day of protest on Saturday, April 19. According to the group’s social media, they are hoping to get 11 million people, roughly 3.5% of America’s population, to participate. They said this number is the, “sustained resistance in order to make a difference.”
50501 also said the April 19 protests will be rising up against a “hostile government takeover” by the Trump administration. Their name, 50501, originates from there being 50 states, 50 protests and one movement, which put together makes 50501. They estimated roughly three million Americans protested on April 5th, and acknowledged nearly quadrupling that number is a monumental task.
While specifics on rally locations are still limited, the groups have confirmed a large-scale rally in Washington, D.C. and school walkouts at various colleges including New York University (NYU).
If you’re interested in learning more about the 50501 movement or finding rally locations near you for April 19, you can visit fiftyfifty.one for more information.
Saturday, April 12, 2025
