Hundreds of people gathered downtown Saturday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s government spending cuts, carrying signs that read “Launch Musk to Mars” and “Democracy Dies with DOGE.”
Protesters marched down Michigan Avenue and past a Tesla dealership in Streeterville, chanting “Elon Musk has got to go.” Indivisible Chicago, a volunteer-led progressive activist group, organized the “Takedown Tesla” protest. Musk is the CEO and a co-founder of the electric car company..
“We are really upset about what the current Trump administration is doing, and we are really upset about what Musk is being allowed to do,” said Denise Poloyac, a board member of Indivisible Chicago. “They’re threatening our democracy. They’re stealing from us, and we are out here to express how angry we are at that.”
Critics of Trump and Musk hope to discourage and stigmatize purchases of vehicles from Tesla, the world’s most valuable automaker. For weeks, liberal groups have organized anti-Tesla protests in cities across the country in hopes of galvanizing opposition to Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and energizing Democrats still demoralized by Trump’s November election victory.
Musk’s DOGE has shrunk the federal government’s workforce by the thousands and has enacted changes seemingly designed to increase political control over agencies that have historically operated with some degree of autonomy.
While some Republicans believe the cuts resonate with voters, Poloyac thinks Musk is undermining “everything that is valuable in this country.”
“He’s eliminating vital services that we all need and expect from our federal government, whether it’s protecting our environment or protecting our public health,” Poloyac said. “Ultimately, he’s using it to enrich himself and his cronies.”
Demonstrations opposing Trump’s administration have picked up across the city recently, including a rally in support of Ukraine and another for democracy. There was a separate rally and march Saturday morning at Daley Plaza for International Women’s Day.
Katie Conley, a 32-year-old Evanston resident, carried a sign at Saturday’s protest that said “My Body My Choice” and “Trans Rights are Human Rights.” She said she’s felt “powerless” since Trump took office and wanted to get more involved in protesting his policies.
“Something that really scares me is just how polarized and divided the nation has become,” she said. “I think that we’ve forgotten how to have a conversation and how to hear each other. United we stand, divided we fall.”
The Associated Press contributed.
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