“The revolution is now”: Myrtle Beach, SC, demonstrators protest Trump, Elon Musk & more

“The revolution is now,” a large crowd chanted outside Myrtle Beach City Hall on Monday afternoon. The group gathered for an “America has no king” protest — one of dozens of President’s Day demonstrations across the United States protesting the Trump administration.

Plans for the protests originated on the Reddit page for the 50501 Movement, which refers to 50 protests in 50 states as one movement.

“The #50501 protests were a decentralized rapid response to the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies,” the organization’s website says.

Myrtle Beach protesters

In Myrtle Beach, chants such as “We’re not going back,” “We love people,” and “Compassion and inclusion” broke out at the protest, as speakers including former and current educators, a retired Myrtle Beach police officer and others addressed the crowd.

In addition to the 50501 Movement, the Myrtle Beach demonstration was organized in conjunction with Build the Resistance, No Voice Unheard and the Political Revolution and featured members of local chapters of the Horry County Democratic Party and Living Liberally.

The issues

Demonstrators raised a range of grievances with the Executive Branch under President Donald Trump.

They railed against sweeping anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ policies; Trump’s dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin; the pardons of people convicted of crimes after the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, and the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs.

Other signs and speeches criticized data privacy violations, book bans, abortion restrictions and billionaire Elon Musk’s unelected power as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency.

“You just can’t name somebody the head of an agency and they go out and demand data,” said former federal employee Rita Smith. “Musk is not approved by Congress. He’s not cleared by Congress. We have checks and balances and rules and regulations for a reason. We have a Constitution for a reason, and we’re not going to let them take it away from us.”

Calls to action

Organizers encouraged protesters to contact their representatives, get involved locally and participate in a nationwide economic blackout organized by the People’s Union USA on Feb. 28 to boycott major retailers that eliminated or cut their DEI policies.

“Resistance is kind of like holding the line. Screw that,” said retired Navy Command Master Chief Petty Officer John Gregory Vincent with the Horry County Democratic Party. “Revolution is winning.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2025 at 5:13 PM.