Protests Against Trump, Project 2025 Planned Across CA And Nation

CALIFORNIA — A movement to oppose the early actions of President Donald Trump’s administration is taking off online, with plans to protest across the U.S., including California's capitol and major cities such as San Diego and Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The movement has organized under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Many of the protests are planned at state capitols, with some in other cities.

The decentralized, grassroots nature of the movement make it hard to estimate the size of the protests planned in California. Not affiliated with known activist groups, the movement is also generating skepticism among would-be protestors.

According to flyers shared on Reddit, protests are planned Wednesday for:

• San Diego: 3 p.m. at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building, 880 Front Street and, 221 W Broadway, San Diego
• Sacramento: 12 p.m. N Street between 12th and 13th
• Los Angeles: 3 p.m. at City Hall’s Park Center, 200 North Main Street
• San Jose: 12 p.m. at the Robert F Peckham Federal Building, 280 South Second Street

The movement has websites and accounts across social media. Flyers circulating online decry Project 2025, a hard-right playbook for American government and society, and include messages such as “reject fascism” and “defend our democracy.”

Organizers took to Reddit this week to acknowledge the confusion and skepticism surrounding the planned protests.

"The PURPOSE of 50501, as I understand it, is simply to prove that we can and will come together for a common cause, and to show how MANY of us oppose the direction our country is going," wrote someone claiming to be a moderator of the 50501 discord. "This isn't going to run like a professional protest because we are not professionals. We are regular people who just wanted to make a change. There may not be sponsors. There may not be speakers. But that does NOT mean our efforts here are in vain.

"Why? Because we've built a community. We've created networks of people who not just believe in the common cause, but who are willing to do something about it. As a matter of fact, we've created a network of over - of AT LEAST - 45,000 people who are willing to do something about it."

Trump has signed a series of executive orders in the first couple of weeks of his new term on everything from trade and immigration to climate change. As Democrats begin to raise their voice in opposition to Trump’s agenda, protests have also begun.

On Sunday, thousands of people marched against Trump's plan for large-scale deportations in Southern California, including in downtown Los Angeles, where protests shut down a major freeway for hours.

In a coffee shop just a block from Michigan’s Capitol, organizers of a planned action there Wednesday pushed together tables, spreading out poster boards to write messages that read “No Deportations Ever!” and “Workers Unite!”

Kelsey Brianne, a key organizer of Michigan’s rally, called it a “real grassroots effort.” She learned about the movement Sunday night and has been coordinating speakers and safety protocols.

“I got involved because I knew that there was a need, and I knew what I could do,” Brianne said Tuesday. “But also I want to look back at this time and say that I did something and I didn’t just sit back.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.