Thousands took to the streets across the US on Saturday to protest recent actions by President Donald Trump.
Known as “50501”, for “50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement”, the demonstrations were intended to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolutionary War.
From outside the White House and Tesla dealerships and at the centres of many cities, protesters expressed a variety of grievances. Many called for the return of Kilmar Ábrego García, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
Political protests are becoming more common in the US – the “Hands Off” demonstrations in early April drew tens of thousands in cities across the country.
The most recent polling from Gallup suggests 45% of voters approve of Trump’s performance in the first quarter of his term, which is more than the 41% who approved during the same period in his first administration.
Still, it is lower than the average first-quarter rating of 60% for all presidents elected between 1952 and 2020.
Saturday’s protests addressed a number of Trump actions, including those by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) – Trump’s initiative to cut US government jobs and other spending – and the administration’s unwillingness to bring about the return of Ábrego García, a citizen of El Salvador.
Gihad Elgendy told CNN he joined the protest at the White House to criticise the deportation of Ábrego García. He believes Trump “could easily pressure El Salvador to bring him back”.
The protests were generally reported as peaceful, although Representative Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat, posted a video on X of a man holding a Trump sign and pushing through a crowd to angrily confront him.
Many demonstrators carried signs reading “No Kings,” a nod to the anniversary of the start of the country’s revolution against English rule.
During celebrations of the anniversary in Massachusetts that commemorated the battles of Lexington and Concord and the famous horse ride of Paul Revere, people held similar signs. There was also a 50501 demonstration in Boston on Saturday.
“This is a very perilous time in America for liberty,” Thomas Bassford, told the Associated Press, while in Boston with his partner, daughter and two grandsons. “I wanted the boys to learn about the origins of this country and that sometimes we have to fight for freedom.”
Trump’s popularity appears to be edging down, especially when it comes to the economy. When he took office in January, his approval rating was 47%, according to Gallup.
His approval rating in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll similarly dipped to 43% from 47% on Inauguration Day. In the same poll, only 37% approved of his performance on the economy, compared to 42% during inauguration.
Earlier this month, hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered for the largest nationwide show of opposition since Trump returned to the White House.
Those protests – which were larger than Saturday’s – happened in 1,200 locations in all 50 US states.
By BBC News
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