Demonstrations on Wednesday erupted across America in protest of President Donald Trump's administration and the many sweeping changes it has made since the inauguration just 17 days ago.
But at multiple protests, one of the president's allies was the subject of scorn even more than Trump: billionaire and tech guru Elon Musk.
In Boston, outside the Massachusetts State House, hundreds of protesters stood with signs while shouting "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go!" and "Deport Elon!"
In New York City, more than 100 protesters gathered outside City Hall, with one holding a sign depicting Musk as a king, while others had placards reading "No-one voted for Elon Musk" and "No tech takeover!"
"I don't trust Elon Musk. I guarantee that within two weeks, Trump the puppet will be gone and Elon Musk will be president," one protester who gave her name as Gale, told Newsweek. Gale declined to give her surname.
Many demonstrators told Newsweek they are terrified by Musk's rise to power. "The criminality is just spectacularly disastrous for our country," Maureen Devlin told Newsweek in Boston. "It needs to be stopped."
Why It Matters
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a nongovernmental task force run by Musk, is working to cut wasteful federal spending. DOGE has been granted access to "sensitive Treasury data," including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Musk has been working as a "special government employee," a White House official told the AP. He does not receive a paycheck for his work.
What To Know
Since Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, Musk has been an ever-growing presence in U.S. politics, joining rallies, speaking out on social media and now heading DOGE.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent approved Musk's access to the Treasury on Friday. It allows him and his team entry into a system responsible for trillions of dollars in government payments, including Social Security checks and tax refunds.
Democratic leaders, and now everyday citizens, have sounded alarms around Musk's "shadow government." Kevin, a veteran in New York who did not want to disclose his last name, told Newsweek that Musk "paid $250 million for the keys to the country."
Beyond the Treasury, Musk announced that the U.S. Agency for International Development would shut down.
He also recently urged lawmakers to vote down an original bipartisan spending bill and said any lawmaker who supported it should be voted out of office. At one point, some Republican lawmakers called for Musk to become House speaker.
Protesters, in conjunction with the 50501 Movement, rallied on Wednesday throughout the nation. In Boston, police confirmed to Newsweek that over 200 people showed up.
Laura Olson made a "Re$train Musk" poster for the rally. The opposite side of the sign read "chaos ≠ good govt."
"Nobody elected Musk," Olson told Newsweek. "He's destroying our government."
Cathy Walthers had an "F-Elon" sign that she brought to Boston after about a two-hour drive from Cape Cod. She called Musk's involvement in the U.S. government despite not being elected to any position "problematic."
"I'm worried about what's happening with our government," Walthers told Newsweek. "Elon Musk, is he taking over our Treasury? There's a lot of questions, and I'd like to get some answers from that."
Nancy Dignan carried a "Send Musk to Mars" sign, as she is "furious that we allowed Musk to get into our private information and take out all of our agencies with no agency" himself.
In New York, there were chants of "We don't trust Elon Musk!" and signs calling to "deport" the Tesla CEO and to "stop the treasury steal."
Jess, a social worker who also did not want to disclose her last name, painted a poster of Musk as a king. She told Newsweek that he is a "king but a joke of a king."
"I used to be a fan of Musk," Jess said. "I feel very much duped but also not surprised ... He's high on his own ego, and he's a mess.
"The tech titans want to be in charge of everything and they don't like democracy."
Rebecca White, who was holding a sign that read "immigrants make America great," told Newsweek, "I remember having a conversation about Elon Musk several years ago and feeling like I don't want to see the future he'd build. Now I feel like we're in that moment.
"The administration is giving him power that's puts him above the law, and wealth shouldn't put someone above the citizenry."
Kevin, the veteran in New York, also told Newsweek that he felt Musk should be behind bars. "I think he should be thrown in jail, as a traitor."
Other New York protesters raised concerns regarding just how much the Trump administration had done since taking office on January 20, with many telling Newsweek they were "terrified" and "overwhelmed" by the number of executive orders and broad federal changes.
What's the 50501 Movement?
The 50501 Movement—or 50 states, 50 protests, one day—garnered support throughout social media over its plan to stage demonstrations across the nation to "fight Fascism" on February 5.
The protests were against Trump and his actions during his first three weeks back in the White House.
One of the moderators of the subreddit, u/honeydoulemon, told Snopes that the original idea came from another moderator, u/Evolved_Fungi.
Evolved_Fungi's original post was deleted, but Snopes was provided screenshots by u/honeydoulemon, showing that the hope was to give a "simple instruction set" and increase participation "exponentially."
Each local protest is run by different participants but the overall movement was partnered with Political Revolution.
Natalie Nunez, media coordinator for the movement in Massachusetts, told Newsweek that she's "noticed a lot in the news," which pushed her to protest.
"I feel like a lot of executive orders and a lot of little things are being dismantled right under our noses and people are underreacting," Nunez told Newsweek. "Little by little right now, Trump and his team members are trying to take away our rights."
Nunez added that Musk and his team of "young, tech bros" are "setting up a system where people are nothing but a revenue stream."
"It's always about money and influence and never about the people," Nunez told Newsweek. "They'll bleed the country dry while convincing the masses, us, that it's for their own good. And it's not."
Counterprotesters Arrive to Support Donald Trump
Two counterprotesters showed up at the end of the Boston rally. Landon Costigan told Newsweek that he attended because the people complaining "don't make a whole lot of sense." He said his town in Massachusetts is "really discriminatory toward anyone who's Republican."
"I'm just out here to speak and tell the truth," Costigan said, holding a sign that read "two genders," in reference to Trump's executive order.
"I'm not saying all Democrats are like this but it's people like this that give the Democrat party a bad vibe. You don't see Republicans suppressing free speech."
As for Musk, Costigan said it is hypocritical to now be calling for his deportation because "they only use the law when it's in their favor."
"I think he's a man of great power. He's very intelligent," Costigan, who is part of an underground conservative movement, told Newsweek. "I don't think he would do anything harmful."
Costigan was not going up to people, but a man did try to interrupt him and push him while he was talking with Newsweek.
Newsweek did not see a counterprotest response in New York.
What People Are Saying
Massachusetts State Senator Sal DiDomenico at the Boston protest: "You have allies in the State House who are going to fight back. Donald Trump wants to be a tyrant. Donald Trump is inspired, and he respects tyrants around the world because he wants to be just that. We have to fight back as a community and a nation to allow us to have a voice, not President Musk, not President Trump but the people have the voice of this country to fight back and defend democracy because we are not going to take it anymore."
Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday: "Elon got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good if we agree with him, and it's only if we agree with him. Elon can't do and won't do anything without our approval. And we'll give him the approval where appropriate, and where not appropriate, we won't. Where we think there's a conflict, we won't let him go near it."
Democratic U.S. Representative and Marine Corps veteran Jared Golden of Maine, on X: "I've been getting a lot of calls over the past few days, and the interesting thing is none of them are about Donald Trump. They're all about Elon Musk. My constituents, and a majority of this country, put Trump in the White House, not this unelected, weirdo billionaire."
Democratic U.S. Representative Dan Goldman of New York, on X: "@ElonMusk gave Trump $250m, so Trump handed him control of America's checkbook.
"Musk and his 20-something DOGE cadre can now access your social security number, home address and more.
"This is unprecedented corruption, an invasion of privacy, and a threat to national security."
Palmer Luckey, founder of ModRetor, on X, and reposted by Musk: "One of the key pillars of Trump's campaign was the creation of a Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon. This is exactly what people voted for, not some kind of surprise twist!"
Vice President JD Vance on X: "'No one voted for Elon Musk.' (They did however vote for Donald Trump who promised repeatedly to have Elon Musk root out wasteful spending in our government.)"
Follow Newsweek's live blog for real-time updates on the protests throughout the country.
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About the writer
Monica is a Newsweek reporter based in Boston. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. Monica joined Newsweek in 2024. ... Read more