What Does 50501 Mean? About the Movement That's Been Protesting All Over the United States

Americans engaged in nationwide protests on Presidents' Day 2025 as part of a movement known as 50501. If that name confused you, you're not alone. Although the protests were clearly political and were meant to respond to the first month of Donald Trump's presidency, many wanted to know more about how the name fits in.

50501 could mean any number of things, and it might be impossible to understand it on your own. Here's what we know about what it means.

The 50501 movement is short for the phrase "50 protests. 50 states. 1 movement," the idea being that even though these protests were happening in different states all across the country, they were all part of the same movement.

The protests were held to push back against "the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration," and follow up on protests that were held on Feb. 5.

The protests are an explicit response to the executive orders that Donald Trump has signed since taking office and to Elon Musk's efforts to fire and disable various federal agencies in his role as an advisor to the president. Many of these orders have been challenged in court as unconstitutional, often because they relate to funds or departments that were created by Congress and can only be destroyed through Congressional approval.

"We are going out and protesting because we are concerned by our current president's actions," Sydney Wilson told NPR in Pittsburgh. "We figured it was a nice little punch," she added, explaining why they had chosen to hold the protests on a day that is historically set aside to celebrate presidents.

As Wilson explained, the goals of the movement have remained unchanged since they first started protesting in early February.

"We are still very much calling for the removal of Elon Musk. We find it very concerning that there is a non-government official that has the access that he does," Wilson explained. "And we would like to see the strengthening of anti-discrimination legislation."

There, organizers began coordinating their plans for a nationwide protest and then began to organize in their own communities.

The movement is not affiliated with any political party, but its organizers hail from many recent protest movements, including Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ advocacy.

"The current administration has clarified that it cares more about profit than people. We as a collective refuse to stand by as they continue to undermine the dignity of our communities," the group said in a statement.

"We are not just numbers or consumers. We are the People. We reject fascism. We reject the oligarchy. We reject the idea that any person's worth is less than another's," the statement continued.

A similar protest movement emerged in the wake of the first Trump administration, although this one is on a smaller scale. It's unclear where the movement will go from here, and what its ultimate effect might be. Only time will tell.