CINCINNATI — Waving signs, chanting and calling for action, more than 200 people rallied at Cincinnati City Hall against a slew of policies and proposals brought forward by President Donald Trump's administration on the day of his first address to a joint session of Congress.
At the top of the list were calls for an end to deep job and service cuts at the federal level led mostly by billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), calls to support Ukraine in their war against Russia and demands that the guardrails of democracy be protected.
Minister Christopher Gillium didn't know a protest had been planned when he came to City Hall to meet with a councilman but ended up leading the group in a series of chants when he learned what was happening.
"They're trying to create two classes of people: the haves and the have-nots," Gillium said.
WATCH: Hundreds protest the Trump administration in Cincinnati as part of a national movement
Kathy Newman, 74, came from Bethel to protest while her niece protested in Columbus.
The events were coordinated by the 50501 Movement, designed to present a unified resistance against the new administration across the U.S.
"I've never ever in my life witnessed anything this atrocious that's happening to our country," Newman said.
#NOW: Well over 100 people are rallying outside of Cincinnati City Hall as part of nationwide anti-Trump administration protests called 50-50-1.This comes ahead of President Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress.@WCPO pic.twitter.com/zkdzCLXkqR
— Sean DeLancey (@SeanDeLanceyTV) March 4, 2025
50501 Movement organizer Jack Cunningham said there is common ground on which those on the left and right could find agreement, and that's policies to lessen inflation and make the country more affordable, including grocery and housing prices.
"We're seeing right now an administration that refuses to acknowledge and accept that and solely going after people who disagree with them," Cunningham said.
Newman said she was no stranger to protest, having marched in the streets against the Vietnam War and protested during Trump's first term, but she knew this term would be a test of endurance.
"I have a lot of hope," said Newman. "I do have hope. Without hope, we have nothing."
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