About 400 protesters marched around the Indiana Statehouse Wednesday, joining a nationwide day of protest against the Donald Trump administration and Project 2025, a right-wing movement that wants to remove limits on executive power while boosting socially conservative policies.
Despite steady rain and temperatures in the low 30s, the anti-Trump demonstrators marched. The protest was organized online and calls itself 50501, which stands for 50 states and 50 protests on one day.
Combat medic and Democratic congressional hopeful Jackson Franklin came to the statehouse with one of his triplets. He said he was motivated to protest mainly because of the state’s decision to release abortion records publicly.
“They do not have a mandate to impose whatever they want upon us,” Franklin said. “Trump won with like 1.4% of the vote. He barely won, is our point, and he still has to be beholden to the electorate.”
Stained glass artist Jane Meredith said she’s been protesting since 1968, when she opposed the Vietnam War. She said she’s worried for her transgender granddaughters and friends in the LGBTQ+ community.
“I'm tired of this, but there's never been anything like this, never been even remotely close to the kinds of injustices that are going on, particularly in the last two weeks,” Meredith said.
Some protesters carried signs and led chants against Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and billionaire Elon Musk, two Trump allies who share his vision for the country. Braun won the state Republican primary after receiving Trump’s endorsement.