Hundreds gather at SC State House to protest Project 2025
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Hundreds gathered across the country in large cities, including many state capitals for 50501.
“50 States, 50 Protests, One Day” is a movement across the nation protesting Project 2025.
Rallygoers were outside the South Carolina State House on Wednesday calling on lawmakers inside to listen and consider opposition to any bill that aligns with the policies described in the project.
“Everything is going to get worse from here, they are moving quickly, we need to move quickly as well,” said Blake Justice, one of the protest organizers.
Blake Justice and Haley Weaver put the protest together in just a few days after noticing there were no plans for a 50501 protest in South Carolina.
Project 2025 is a plan founded a few years ago by the conservative group, the Heritage Foundation. Project 2025 describes itself on its website as a non-partisan movement not affiliated with a candidate or campaign.
It is aimed at abolishing the Deep State, which Merriam-Webster defines as an alleged secret network of nonelected government officials who have undue influence over the federal government, and returning government to the people.
The project lists several policy suggestions, including deporting undocumented immigrants and banning transgender athletes from competing in sports.
In addition to protesting Project 2025’s policy suggestions, organizers said they are also calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
The President made clear during the campaign that he had nothing to do with the project and had not read the over 900-page document. However, despite that denial, early actions taken by him in his first few weeks in office, mirror some of Project 2025 policies including an executive order President Trump signed Wednesday afternoon regarding the ban on transwomen competing in women’s sports.
“I have nothing to do with Project 2025, that’s out there, I haven’t read it, I don’t want to read it. Purposely, I’m not going to,” said President Donald Trump. Despite this claim, the Associated Press notes three contributors to Project 2025 are tied to Trump: Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff.
While protesters at the rally disagreed, one told WIS, “He is executing Project 2025, we are watching it unfold, the boxes are getting checked every week that the executive orders come down the pipe,” said Lucy Mahon.
During the rally, protesters held banners and posters. Some had anti-Project 2025 remarks, while others asked for pro-women and transgender rights.
“As a mother, as an American, it scares me what is going on in this country, and I want to make sure that I am doing everything in my power so that my son’s life is amazing and successful and every right is protected,” said Haley Weaver, one of the protest organizers.
Organizers said Wednesday’s protest was a grassroots initiative-- just ordinary people standing up to something they don’t believe in and exercising their right to the First Amendment.
WIS asked South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, one of the president’s top supporters in the state about Project 2025,
“I don’t know what happened in other states, but I mean they were protesting, they were well-behaved. That’s how you do it,” said McMaster.
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