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by MARK POWELL
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American streets, parks, and public places will be filled with angry protestors yet again this Saturday (October 18, 2025).
Back in the spring, a left-leaning coalition of the discontented assembled from Atlantic to Pacific for the first go-round. It was orchestrated, then and now, by a loose association called 50501, standing for “50 protests, 50 states, 1 message.”
It relies on the usual suspects of opposition groups from the left (Indivisible, MoveOn, Public Citizen, the ACLU, the LGBTQ+ crowd, organized labor and various other affinity groups).
“It’s going to be the greatest collection of lefties since the 2012 Cleveland Indians,” a conservative political strategist in Washington quipped, referring to the team’s preponderance of left-handed pitchers.
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50501 is a loose-knit umbrella that operates via local grassroots hubs (read: “collectives”) rather than from a central headquarters. It goes for showy displays of “people power” (which it calls “days of action”) through organized demonstrations like Not My President’s Day, Hands Off, and the one about to be replicated nationally this weekend, No King’s Day.
In case you missed it — or forgot about it — the original No King’s Day was held on June 14, 2025, partially to protest the military parade President Donald Trump hosted in Washington that same day (which also happened to be both his 79th birthday and Flag Day). It was observed at some 2,100 venues across the U.S.
Participation estimates ranged from 4-6 million people. 50501 splits the difference and claims 5 million showed up. The whole gamut of the Progressive base turned out in force: socialists, climate change activists, transgender supporters, minority advocates… and the list goes on and on.
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RELATED | INSIDE ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTS
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The gatherings’ avowed purpose was to stand up to what it sees as executive branch overreach. But there is truly just one driving force behind the mélange of unhappy militants: they plain hate Trump.
The protesters had such a good time in June, 50501 decided to throw a second No Kings Day this Saturday. Here in the Palmetto State, events include:
- Rally at 5201 Ashley Phosphate Road in North Charleston, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT
- Rally at 500 N. Mains Street in Summerville, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. EDT
- Rally at S.C. State House in Columbia, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. EDT
- Rally at Graham Plaza in Greenville, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. EDT
50501 and its affiliates have proven they can turn out crowds for such large-scale gatherings. The question is, do such demonstrations change public opinion, especially among independent swing voters?
“Nope,” the D.C. strategist told us. “It’s a classic case of preaching to the choir. Democrats love public demonstrations. It makes them feel like they’re reliving their glory days of civil rights marches and anti-Vietnam War protests in the 1960s. They make for good TV news pictures for one day, and then they’re totally forgotten the very next. I’ll bet June’s first No Kings event has completely slipped the mind of most of your readers.”
Another political strategist based in early-voting South Carolina had a different take.
“If they want to go outside and take in some fresh air on a pretty fall day, then by all means, I hope they enjoy themselves,” they said. “But they’ll not win over a single voter. In fact, protests are often counterproductive, turning off more people than they convert. Look at what’s happening in the Pacific Northwest right now. How many votes, or even viewpoints, have been changed by watching a bunch of half-naked hippies in Portland, Oregon, defy federal authority? Not one.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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7 comments
Hey grandpa, was this post meant for your facebook feed?
That one strategist is right about one thing, protests won’t deprogram cult members. The protest is still valid though.
So you just advocate laying down and accepting:
— Trump spending money not appropriated by Congress, and spending money appropriated by Congress on things that tickle his fancy
— A $40 billion payout to Argentina for the sole purpose of propping up his little fellow authoritarian friend (Argentina First?)
— Blowing up random boats in the Caribbean
— Enriching himself while in the WH with his crypto memecoin scam
— His sons enriching themselves via the presidency (but, Hunter Biden…)
— His attacks on free speech, threatening media outlets that don’t fawn all over him
— And most importantly his obvious descent into dementia. Aberbaijan and Albania, haha.
These are all things that Fizznews would be having a conniption about were it a president from another party. Wallow in your hypocrisy.
Even the FoxNews polls show Trump tanking, but sure Mark everyone still loves Trump. Get real gramps.
Can someone explain to me like I’m a 3 year old of what these protests accomplish? Sure a bunch of people congregate, speakers go up and rant, people chant, protestors and supporters go face to face with threats, and then everyone goes home. The next day it’s as if nothing happened except for the dead grass on the Statehouse grounds. So why put so much time and effort into something that accomplishes nothing?
I’m seriously considering going to Burger King, getting 3 dozen complimentary crowns, and painting them MAGA red, and giving to all my anti-communist friends. For a nice stroll on the capitol grounds tomorrow afternoon.
Squishy if the silent majority does not manifest resistance wont just materialize when needed.