Richmond rallies targeting Elon Musk and Trump policies grow
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The scene at a protest at the Tesla dealership in Innsbrook on March 29. Image: Courtesy of Dave Parrish Photography
The resistance of 2025 may not be wearing a pink knitted cap — but it's alive in town halls, on the streets, at state capitals and outside of car dealerships across the country and here at home.
Why it matters: What started in Richmond as a one-day demonstration for the nationwide "50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Day" movement has grown into almost weekly rallies drawing hundreds of locals.
State of play: The activity in Richmond kicked off on February 5 with the #50501Movement protest at the State Capitol, which was organized by the volunteer-led Virginia chapter of the group.
- Since then, there's been a Presidents Day protest, a demonstration against federal jobs cuts, and two rallies outside of Richmond's Tesla dealership.
- There was a women's rights march, a rally for trans people and, notably, locals turned out en masse and surrounded St. John's Church on the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech.
The big picture: The early moves of President Trump's second term and DOGE cuts have pulled a wide range of Americans into the political crosshairs, from National Parks Service workers to Social Security recipients to the transgender community.
- "One of the miscalculations ... in their flood-the-zone strategy is when you flood the zone, you hit everyone," said Maurice Mitchell, the national director of the progressive Working Families Party.
- That's brought previously uninvolved people into resistance efforts, Mitchell said.
What we're hearing: One leader of the #50501Movement's state chapter told us 400-600 people from all backgrounds and ages are showing up at the Richmond protests.
- "I see veterans, I see teachers. I see federal workers, scientists, librarians. Why are all these people here today? And it's because we're all scared at how the country is moving," Jim Wade, an attendee of the Tesla protest last Saturday, told WTVR."
The state #50501 chapter has three general "demands": opposing an expansion of executive power, protecting the constitution and opposing fascism.
- But the biggest issue for Richmond protestors appears to be the billionaire head of Tesla and DOGE chief Elon Musk.
Of note: #TeslaTakedown protests have been bubbling up across the country since the start of Trump's second term, including the two in Richmond.
What they're saying: "I think a great wrong is being done to the people of Tesla and to our customers," Musk told Fox News in an interview last week.
- Musk said people are "committing violence" against the company after being "fed propaganda by the far-left."
What we're watching: The next demonstration in Richmond, "Hands Off!," is on Saturday. It's part of nationwide mobilization effort that Mitchell with Working Families predicts will be "the largest single day of actions against Trump, Musk and DOGE to date."