Updated at 6:08 p.m.
Hundreds of Vermonters joined a protest against the Trump administration on the steps of the Statehouse Wednesday — part of a national movement to resist President Donald Trump’s actions since he came into office two weeks ago.
The movement, titled 50501, is a decentralized initiative to bring protests to every state capitol in the nation. Vermonters arrived at the Statehouse in Montpelier with signs, flags and chants, despite the blustery 13-degree weather.
The themes of attendees’ signs ranged from objections to Elon Musk’s involvement in the administration to supporting LGBTQ+ rights, abortion rights and the Palestinian cause. If any thread unified the protesters, it was the desire to push back against what they said was Trump’s anti-democratic approach to his presidential power and harm to marginalized people.
“I don’t like Nazis,” protester Lexi McCloud said. “I don’t think they should be in our government. Our right as the American people is to speak out against oppressive regimes.”
Another protester, Sophia Lashchyk-Tytla, connected her participation on Wednesday with her Ukrainian heritage.
“I demonstrated as a kid against Russia. Russia used to kill Ukrainians left and right,” she said. “And now here we are, and we’re living it here in our country. We’ve got oligarchs like Elon Musk.”
Lashchyk-Tytla added that she could not believe Trump has not been held accountable, in her view, for his past criminal actions.
“I never thought that would be possible,” she said.”I thought it was possible in Ukraine and in Russia, but never in the U.S.”
In advance of the protest, the city of Montpelier put out a press release stating that no permit had been filed for the protest and local police officers would be in attendance to ensure the community’s safety.
About an hour into the gathering, many participants marched down the State Street sidewalk toward Main Street to the tune of cars honking. However, protesters did not block roads and entrances, and VTDigger did not spot any counter-protesters.
A handful of volunteers handed out coffee from a table on the Statehouse lawn. One volunteer, Travis Napoli, a Waitsfield resident, said many people contributed to organizing the protest. The 50501 movement spread the word through Reddit and left-wing politicians’ social media.
“I think the younger generation has realized that you can do these sort of mob approaches to just showing up and doing things,” he said.
Although some of the protesters had left work to come to the rally, Napoli said others told him they were worried about getting fired.
“My response to them was, ‘If you don’t show up today, there might not be a job tomorrow,’” he said. One protester did, indeed, decline to speak to VTDigger because they took a personal day from work to attend.
Julie Foy, another attendee, said the purpose of protesting for her was to build a community of resistance — and to get to know her neighbors. “I think, hopefully, it’s (about) recognizing other faces in the crowd to get together and do the real work of: How do we support the people who are most marginalized?” she said.
Several state legislators attended the protest, joining in on chants and speaking to folks in the crowd. Among them were Rep. Mari Cordes, D-Lincoln; Rep. Saudia LaMont, D-Morristown; and Rep. Jubilee McGill, D-Bridport. All three told VTDigger the Trump administration had been front-of-mind for them, not only as individuals but also as representatives of a small state likely to be heavily affected by Trump policies such as his proposed tariffs.
“I knew it would be bad under Trump, but I did not imagine that a non-governmental billionaire would be stealing our government and stealing the resources of the American people,” Cordes said.
She said Vermont was a partner to the federal government in many ways, for example, in education and health care. “If we lose federal resources, our health care system will crash,” said Cordes, who is also a nurse.
LaMont said that when Vermonters say they’re going to rally, “I show up.”
“I am here for the people, and I am of the people, so I’m here with the people standing up for human rights and civil rights and justice and liberty and all the things that we hope to hold true,” she said.
As protesters hoisted a Canadian flag above the crowd, McGill reflected on the U.S.-Canada relationship amid turmoil over tariffs and border security.
“Our lives are intertwined with Canada as a border state,” she said. “I know I regularly go to Canada. Historically, they have been our ally. They show up for the United States again and again. … I am deeply against this turn of, like, trying to force us to become enemies.”
Cynthia Russell, a longtime Quebec resident who recently moved back to Vermont, said Trump’s recent scuffle with Canada over tariffs and the border had affected her Canadian friends’ views toward Americans, and in turn, Vermonters. “My whole family, almost, is in Canada. I’m afraid they won’t visit,” she said.
One prominent Vermont politician not in attendance was Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who has broken from his party’s line to condemn Trump and said he voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. At one point, protesters gathered to chant, “Where is Phil Scott?”
Scott held his regularly scheduled press conference at the same time as the protest Wednesday, with the chants of protestors audible from the room.
Asked about those who demanded he take a stronger stance against Trump, Scott said he feels that Trump is fueled by outrage and that he plans to take each issue as they come. “We have another 47 months ahead of us under this administration,” he said.
“We can’t sustain this, and we can’t be outraged at every single thing that happens, so we just want to take a measure of courage and provide the facts,” Scott said.
Some protesters held signs suggesting actions to push back against Trump and his right-wing supporters. Montpelier resident Joseph Wayland’s sign listed companies and places to boycott: Amazon, Facebook and Sinclair Broadcasting, a conservative-leaning media group, among others.
“That’s the only way to hurt them,” he said. “Take away their money. Don’t buy anything.”
LaMont said the most dangerous thing for the human condition is “a loss of hope.”
“People feel disempowered. People feel hopeless. People feel defeated,” she said. “At this time, it’s very important that people come together and feel united. They feel seen. They feel heard and validated, and know they are not alone.”
Shaun Robinson contributed reporting.
