Elon Musk is becoming the central target of a new protest push against President Donald Trump’s federal downsizing campaign, with progressive organizers planning demonstrations outside congressional offices and Tesla dealerships during the congressional recess.
The campaign comes as Trump has given Musk a prominent role in the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and as the administration moves to cut jobs and reshape agencies tied to health, education, veterans affairs and human services.
Conservative commentators also circulated footage from a Washington, D.C., protest that they said showed threatening anti-Trump and anti-Musk imagery. Laura Loomer posted video from what she described as a Women’s March-linked action, claiming protesters were invoking Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused in the killing of an insurance CEO. Another conservative account, Nick Sortor, posted footage of a Trump figure being dragged with a noose around its neck and called for arrests.
The source material does not establish whether those images represented organizers’ instructions, the broader crowd, or isolated demonstrators.
Progressive groups put Musk at the center
Indivisible, MoveOn and the Working Families Party are coordinating protests this week, according to reporting adapted from the Associated Press. Indivisible, which says it has more than 1,300 local chapters, is urging members to show up at congressional offices regardless of party.
The group also distributed guidance for protests at Tesla dealerships, Musk’s electric vehicle company. According to the source, the guidance tells demonstrators to remain on sidewalks and public spaces and to avoid trespassing, blocking entrances or directly interfering with business operations.
Indivisible’s message to activists is that the protest is not meant to target Tesla, SpaceX or X as companies, but what it calls Musk’s political role.
“He’s a major weak link in the MAGA coalition,” Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin said of Musk. “I can’t think of something that polls worse than the richest man in the world is coming after your Social Security check or your Meals on Wheels or your Head Start.”
Democrats see an opening during recess
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is beginning what he calls “a national tour to fight oligarchy,” with stops in working-class areas of Iowa and Nebraska, according to the report.
New Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is also traveling to several states, including Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri, to meet with Democratic officials and labor leaders, DNC spokesperson Hannah Muldavin said.
Muldavin said Martin plans to focus in part on Musk’s attention to the Department of Labor, arguing that it could put “the integrity of data like the unemployment rate and inflation rate at risk, which is important for a stable U.S. economy and, by extension, working people.”
House Democrats are being urged to stay visible during the recess. A House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee memo reportedly encouraged members to hold at least one town hall, either in person or by phone, and at least one community event focused on what Democrats describe as the “devastating impacts” of Trump and Musk’s actions.
Trump defends the cuts as Democrats turn to courts
The protest wave follows sweeping personnel cuts across federal agencies. According to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., recent firings at the Department of Veterans Affairs included researchers working on cancer treatment, opioid addiction, prosthetics and burn pit exposure.
The report also cites more than 5,000 cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services and roughly one-tenth of the workforce at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Trump administration, with Musk’s involvement and Trump’s backing, has also moved to shutter or dramatically reduce agencies including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to the source.
Trump has defended the push as necessary to eliminate waste and fraud, praising Musk’s work with DOGE and saying it uncovered “shocking” evidence of wasteful spending. Musk has defended the pace and scope of the cuts while acknowledging mistakes.
Democrats in Congress have condemned the moves as dangerous, but with Republicans controlling both chambers, their options are limited beyond public pressure and court challenges.
