Greater than 10,000 protesters gathered in New York Metropolis on Presidents’ Day to talk out towards the present Trump administration and the actions specifically of Elon Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).
It was one in every of a number of protests that occurred Monday in main cities throughout the nation and got here throughout the identical lengthy weekend that smaller protests sprouted up at Tesla dealerships throughout the nation.
Protesters who spoke to TechCrunch from Washington Sq. Park, raised considerations about DOGE’s entry to delicate knowledge of thousands and thousands of Individuals and the group’s dismantling of federal companies. They mentioned that they view Musk’s work with DOGE as a veiled try at a monetary energy seize, and expressed frustration that Musk, an unelected official, has gained unprecedented ranges of energy over the federal authorities.
“I think it’s extremely dangerous that [Musk] has access to our personal data,” Dmitri, 53, an architect who requested that his final identify not be used, informed TechCrunch. “He’s kind of a futurist fanboy who’s basically living in a sci-fi fantasy and trying to implement that, and has the resources to do mass amounts of damage. He’s tinkering with something that he doesn’t have the ability to actually understand.”
A 55-year-old retired trainer who recognized himself solely as Tom and who held an indication that learn: “No one voted for Musk,” informed TechCrunch, “As much as I dislike the fact that a significant number of Americans voted for Trump, it is absolutely the case that no one voted for Musk.”
Tom famous that he didn’t imagine the common MAGA supporter voted for Musk and anxious that DOGE’s cuts would harm Individuals on a state, native, and particular person stage.
“The consolidation of power under billionaires is a frightening thing,” he mentioned.
Trump signed an govt order on his first day in workplace to create DOGE, giving Musk, the billionaire proprietor of SpaceX, Tesla, X, and different corporations, the reins to root out authorities fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer {dollars}.
Since then, DOGE has fired practically 10,000 federal employees who dealt with every little thing from managing federal lands to caring for army veterans. One other 75,000 employees have accepted the Trump administration’s buyout proposal, which in late January provided federal employees eight months pay and advantages to go away their posts in the event that they resigned in early February. DOGE has additionally lower 104 authorities contracts associated to range, fairness, inclusion, and accessibility applications and dismantled the U.S. Company for Worldwide Improvement.
Trump additionally granted Musk’s DOGE staff entry to the Treasury division’s digital funds system, which controls trillions of {dollars} in funds to Individuals, from Social Safety advantages to tax refunds, regardless of questions on their safety clearances, their cybersecurity practices, and the legality of Musk’s actions.
Supporters of Trump and Musk applaud their on-paper efforts to root out corruption, inefficiency, and crimson tape. Opponents object to the way in which DOGE goes about its acknowledged objectives, and warn that the staff’s actions will result in extra corruption and nationwide safety dangers.
A wave of authorized challenges has adopted that allege a scarcity of transparency and knowledge privateness violations.
The protesters in New York began at Union Sq. and marched to Washington Sq. Park, congregating underneath the long-lasting memorial arch devoted to George Washington, the nation’s first president. They chanted “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Elon Musk has got to go,” and held indicators that touted a spread of causes, however Musk and DOGE have been a standard theme all through.
The New York Police Division estimated the variety of attendees to be greater than 10,000.
Victoria, who recognized herself as a 37-year-old trainer, held an indication that learn: “Stop the coup,” echoing feedback made to The Guardian on Monday by Arizona’s legal professional common, Kris Mayes, who informed informed the outlet, “In the U.S., we appeal rulings we disagree with – we don’t ignore court orders or threaten judges with impeachment just because we don’t like the decision. This is a coup, plain and simple.”
“This is not about us disagreeing with Republican policies,” mentioned Victoria, bundled up towards the chilly winds whipping via town, the place although sunny, temperatures hovered round 32 levels Fahrenheit. “It’s the fact that Trump has handed over the power of the purse to Elon Musk, who is unelected.”
As folks performed music and shouted chants, their selfmade indicators raised over their heads, a 39-year-old small enterprise proprietor who recognized himself as Corwin mentioned of Musk, “he’s so conflicted and it’s so clear that his antiregulatory attitudes benefit him personally and financially.”
Musk has focused a number of companies for discount or dismantling that regulates industries by which his corporations function. Earlier this month, Musk mentioned he needs to get rid of the Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau, which might regulate X’s deliberate enlargement to monetary companies, posting on his social community X “CFBP RIP,” punctuated with a tombstone emoji. He has acknowledged an intention to go after the Federal Aviation Administration, an company he’s clashed with earlier than and one which regulates SpaceX. He has additionally referred to as for ending a rule that requires automakers to report crashes when autonomous driving expertise is engaged.
Musk’s actions on the federal stage have affected Tesla’s model picture. Throughout the automaker’s 2024 fourth-quarter earnings, analyst Thomas Monteiro of Investing.com famous that the hype round Tesla is trending downward as a result of, amongst different issues, “severe brand devaluation.”
Tales are cropping up of folks promoting their Teslas out of a need to not help Musk’s companies. Some Cybertruck house owners have reported cases of vandalism and harassment. The automaker’s gross sales, which have been already starting to undergo as a result of elevated competitors out there and a stale lineup, have begun to plummet in Europe after a gesture by Musk, on the president’s inauguration, was interpreted by many as a Nazi salute. Poland’s sports activities and tourism minister Slawomir Nitras lobbied for a Tesla boycott, and in Germany, a number of corporations have lower ties with Tesla in response to Musk’s help each for Trump and the far-right political occasion Different for Germany (AfD).
