Hundreds of Oregonians join nationwide protests against the Trump administration

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Hundreds of Oregonians gathered in Portland and Salem Wednesday to protest the Trump administration just over two weeks into the president’s second term.

It was among many protests across the country opposing policies ushered in by President Donald Trump, including those that aim to shrink the federal government, crack down on immigration and end policies that promote racial equity and protect the rights of LGBTQ people.

The protests occurred near Sen. Ron Wyden’s office in Portland and at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, where lawmakers convened last month for the legislative session.

Carrying signs that said “Stand up for democracy” and “Stop the coup,” protesters in Portland called on federal lawmakers to use procedural tools to freeze the U.S. Senate and stop what they see as an unconstitutional power grab by Trump and his allies.

Most notably, they criticized Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and leader of several companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, who has drawn a rebuke from Democrats as the appointed head of a cost-cutting initiative the Trump administration calls the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

“No one voted for him,” said Jeff Kidder, chair of the steering committee for Indivisible Oregon, a pro-Democratic group that organized the Portland protest. “We don’t want this to be a government of the rich and powerful. We want it to be a government of: We the people.”

The demonstrations came the same day that the Trump administration continued to issue orders in line with the vision articulated on the campaign trail.

For example, Trump signed an order Wednesday to prohibit transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports, a move that drew praise from Republicans nationwide. At the same time, leaders at the Justice Department took steps to gain control over the FBI and launch investigations of federal law enforcement who previously investigated the president, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Meanwhile, protesters crowded near tall buildings in Northeast Portland on a gray and frigid afternoon. Many wore beanies and puffy jackets with hoods pulled over their heads, as morning snowfall quickly warmed to slush and rain.

Among them was William Madill, a Northeast Portland resident who said he has grown dismayed by what he called “one firehose-stream of cruel and vindictive actions” since the beginning of Trump’s term.

He said he wants lawmakers to push back against Trump’s cabinet appointees, including Pete Hegseth, who faced accusations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement during his successful confirmation hearing for Defense Secretary.

“It’s really frightening,” Madill said. “I think anything they can do to throw sand in the machinery is very important. It’s not time to be nice guys.”

In Salem, protesters — including parents with children, drag queens and teenagers — walked the streets near the Capitol. They held Pride flags and carried signs in support of transgender people and abortion rights. They chanted, “This is what democracy looks like,” and “Hey hey, ho ho, Elon Musk has got to go.”

Linzy Lingo, a mother from Lebanon, Oregon, pulled her three children in a wagon. She held a sign that read: “For us and the next seven generations.”

Chelsea Alionar, a local activist from Keizer who recently protested in Washington D.C. leading up to Trump’s inauguration, wore a bright red Handmaid’s Tale costume and spoke into a megaphone covered in stickers that read “defend immigrant rights” and “a woman’s place is in the struggle.”

“We have too much at stake to sit back,” Alionar said.

What started as a partly cloudy and brisk morning eventually gave way to rain. More than two hours after the protest began in Salem, some people left, but others remained, waving American flags toward passing cars.