"Anti-Presidents Day" protest staged at state Capitol

Gathering was among protests in all 50 state capitals

A small group gathered before the Mississippi state Capitol on Feb. 17, 2025, part of a coordinated national protest over the Donald Trump presidency and its perceived fascist agenda.

The tandem events were organized by the 50501 Movement, whose name is a reference to 50 protests in 50 states as part of one unified effort. The organization describes itself as a grassroots movement aimed at fighting authoritarianism and threats to democracy in the United States.

Mississippi’s Presidents Day rally followed an earlier, likewise small protest at the Capitol building on Feb. 5, 2025, which also focused on Trump’s presidency and on Project 2025. The Feb. 17 protest was billed an “Anti-Presidents Day,” as it was dubbed by one supporting group, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Young Democrats, though it was aimed only at one president, Trump.

Speakers at the open-forum protest, which included a few dozen participants, decried the rise of fascism and oligarchy, the disruption of government programs and wholesale injustices against less fortunate Americans. One protester said she simply wanted to be included in the historical record as having taken a position against what she saw as an existential crisis at the hands of Trump and his billionaire cohort Elon Musk. Others said their concerns went beyond political ideology or party and were about what they saw as an ongoing overthrow of America’s system of government.

“Our numbers may not be strong now, but in a democracy every vote counts,” said Ty Pinkins, who ran unsuccessfully against incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker in 2024 and plans to run against him again in the next election. “We’re here because we refuse to accept the death of our democracy.” Pinkins added, “This is not normal. This is not a policy dispute. This is a coup.”

The crowd loudly booed when Pinkins mentioned U.S. senators Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, whom he said had abdicated what the Constitution granted as coequal congressional power to the Trump administration.

“Silence is complicity,” Pinkins said.

Another speaker argued that Trump supporters would also face a rude awakening when they feel the effects of Musk’s gutting of federal government agencies.

Warren Yoder, a political activist involved in several public service programs, said the Republican-controlled Congress has allowed Trump to usurp its constitutional power by acquiescing to his directives. “This is a non-player Congress,” Yoder said, referring to a video game descriptor for a “non-player character (NPC),” which has no identity and no purpose other than to be manipulated by the player of the game.

“The only force to stop this is us, the people of the United States,” Yoder said.

Both Pinkins and Yoder directed more ire at Musk than Trump, calling him an unelected billionaire bent on exploiting Trump’s power. In Pinkins’ assessment, “Musk didn’t buy influence, he bought control.” He claimed Trump “is no longer even running the government. The real power is Musk, and he’s not elected. That is not American.”

Musk also took center stage in protest themes featured in Mardi Gras parades the day before in nearby New Orleans, where floats were emblazoned with bon mots like “Mars A Lago” and “Musk by Elon: The Odor of Oligarchy.”

The protest at the Mississippi Capitol was organized largely on social media under the banner of the 50501 Movement, which is active on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and Bluesky.

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Image: Ty Pinkins speaks to protesters before the Mississippi Capitol (by author)