Thousands of people take to the streets in the United States against Trump and Musk: "They want us scared."

WashingtonIn just under two months, Donald Trump has been able to instill a campaign of fear among Americans with the arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters, denials of entry into the country, internal purges within the administration, and arbitrary deportations from prisons in El Salvador. In just under two months, Trump has brought the system to the limit to see how far he is capable of exceeding his presidential power. After just under two months in power, thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest against the president and Elon Musk. "They want to make us feel powerless and they want to scare us. And I have the feeling that at times this tactic is working and some people are already throwing in the towel," explains Sasha at the foot of the Washington Monument, the imposing obelisk that rises in the middle of the National Mall in the capital.

This is the point between the Capitol and the White House where thousands of people gathered this Saturday to protest against the American president and the richest man in the world. Signs warning of the arrival of fascism in the United States and photos of Musk giving the Nazi salute with the phrase "deport him" floated above the heads of those in attendance. In fact, there were almost more signs against the Tesla owner than against Trump himself.

It's only taken a few weeks for the rejection of the world's richest man to become the driving force of outrage against the new Republican administration. Protests have been taking place in front of Tesla dealerships in the United States for weeks now, as part of a global boycott of Musk's electric vehicle company. The march in Washington is part of the 1,400 demonstrations across all 50 states that took place this Saturday. In the capital, the organization estimated that some 20,000 people would attend.

The demonstration comes amid the fear campaign that Trump is spreading among all citizens through deportations to El Salvador prisons without due process, the arrests of students with legal status in the country for their political views, and the purge of civil servants. It also coincides with the Democrats' triumphant week, with the defeat of Musk's candidate in the Wisconsin elections and the 25-hour protest speech by Democratic Senator Cory Booker. Both episodes pave the way for building the new anti-Trump resistance, but despite the glimmer of hope, references to fear and worry are more frequent on the protesters' lips than rage and anger.

"I have for the members of the new family. Soc filla d'immigrants. I, bé, I have for the puguin to revoke the papers. The meu pare te la ciutadania. We all have the ciutadania. But, així and tot, we are worried that people are like jo, or people who are trying to escape from certs "llocs, they continue to be deported because the only thing they need is security and freedom," says the 24-year-old girl. His parents fled Vladimir Putin's regime and came to the United States seeking freedom.

Sasha is concerned about Trump's rapprochement with Putin. "I am queer, something Putin pursues. My family fled because the regime treated them badly. We're pro-Ukraine and don't want to see Russia extend its influence to other parts of Europe or even here. I'm very concerned about Trump's fascination with Putin," says the young woman, who sees certain parallels between what the American president is doing right now and what the Russian did in his early days.

Next to him is Olivia, 25. ch wanted to replicate the massive Women's March of 2017, which drew around 500,000 people, but just missed its goal of 50,000. We felt like, even though we were in a bad situation, there was a kind of community, like, "We're in this together." And now, though, this time feels much lonelier. Like we're more isolated."

"What horrifies me most are the kidnappings of people with legal status. If I didn't have citizenship, I wouldn't have dared to come here, even if I had legal status like green card", explains the 25-year-old. On the minds of the protesters are the arrests of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who had the green card, or Rumeysa Öztürk, who had a student visa, as well as other cases that have come to light.

Among the protesters, a woman holds a "Veterans Against Trump" sign that reads, "DEI policies don't make us weaker; he does." DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion, the three major concepts the Trump administration has railed against. The woman holding the sign is 38-year-old Lindsay, who was a military medic in the Army until her retirement. "If I told you everything I think about Trump and Hegseth, I would have been arrested by now," the veteran says, referring to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comment that women can't serve in the military. "It's really hard being the only woman in an entire battalion, and you always have to prove yourself twice as much as everyone else to be considered. I can't stop thinking about all the women in the military right now who have to put up with these bullshit comments. I've fought for this country for years, and seeing it turn into this makes my blood boil."

Christine, a 70-year-old retired teacher who came from California and participated in the protests against Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, points out that the situation is even worse now. "I was arrested, and it was tough, but what's happening now is on a whole other level. I feel like Trump is pushing the country toward a dictatorial abyss." Another thing that worries Christine is the lack of energy she's noticing: "As an old man who's seen a lot, I understand that young people are afraid, because it's really scary, but you have to go out and fight. If we stay at home silently and do nothing, it will be worse. And I think now people will start to wake up."