“I am become meme,” said Elon Musk last week, in one of the most cringeworthy moments of the conservative conference CPAC. And it’s true – he is become meme... if the meme is a billionaire tech overlord tearing apart ordinary people’s lives in the name of a cute little Japanese dog. Much oligarchy. So dystopia. Wow. 

By now, we probably don’t need to list all the awful things Musk has overseen as the head of DOGE and unelected accomplice of Donald Trump, from gutting vital government services, to seizing control of citizens’ data and federal payment systems. Instead, you might be more enthusiastic to hear about the growing opposition movement of progressive activists, politicians and concerned citizens rallying against the billionaire, from the streets of Washington DC to the forecourts of his Tesla dealerships.

On President’s Day (February 17), one of the biggest Trump/Musk protests yet hit the streets of cities across the US. Branded “No Kings Day” – in reference to the administration’s swift power grab via a flood of executive orders – the protests were largely organised by 50501, a loose coalition based around the idea of bringing together 50 protests, across 50 states, in one single day. On a local level, this unites numerous organisations around an explicit political goal: uphold the US Constitution and stop executive overreach.

There have been some more unique (and funny) protests as well. Take, for example, the hacker who hijacked US federal computers to show an AI video of Trump kissing Elon’s feet. Or the TikTok creators who took a cardboard cutout of Elon’s alleged Nazi salute into a car showroom with several Teslas on sale. It’s not just in America, either. See: the “Heil Tesla” projection on his Tesla Gigafactory in Berlin, or the swastika graffiti that popped up on Tesla stores in the Hague, as well as on Tesla Superchargers in Utah and at least one Cybertruck in California.

The backlash is unsurprising. “Most of what Elon has done has been ill-conceived, cruel, pernicious, or a combination of all three” since assuming power, says Sam Rosenthal, political director at RootsAction. “Truth be told, I didn’t have a very high opinion of Elon Musk before he became the face of the second Trump administration. I’m generally unenthusiastic about billionaires as a socioeconomic institution and as individual people, and [he] seems to be a particularly obnoxious and self-obsessed billionaire, even before his full embrace of neofascism.” Now, though, things have become even more serious. “Whatever I found goofy or risible about Elon has taken on a dark sheen as he’s become the agent of mass demolition of the federal government.”

Rosenthal points to a few moments in particular as evidence of Elon’s dangerous foray into the highest levels of US politics, like his accessing of personal financial data for millions of Americans (which allegedly violated federal law). The SpaceX founder’s budget-cutting team of young, inexperienced loyalists – AKA his “Muskrats” – is also cause for concern. “It’s hard to overstate the potential for utter chaos in letting a group of unelected, very young programmers with zero experience and monumental superiority complexes meddle about in a system that processes trillions of dollars in payments every year,” Rosenthal suggests. “That degree of hubris, combined with the unfettered access Trump has given Elon and company to the levers of the federal government, is incredibly dangerous.”

On the street, protesters have made their fear and anger known, carrying placards with slogans like “F’Elon” and “No one voted for Elon Musk” among those directly aimed at Trump and the Republicans. Many have also controversially called for the deportation of Musk (who was born in South Africa). Among the demonstrations, Democrat politicians like Elizabeth Warren have denounced Musk, while Bernie Sanders has embarked on a nationwide tour titled Fighting Oligarchy.

Nabilah Islam Parkes, a Georgia state senator, joined the protests on February 17. “Nobody elected Elon Musk, and dismantling the federal government isn’t what Trump campaigned on,” she tells Dazed. “Trump and Musk have made clear that nothing is safe – not even social security, Medicare, or veterans’ benefits. Georgia families will be hurt by cuts to health care, education, and other government services.” Meanwhile, she adds, public workers are losing their jobs and prices continue to rise. “This is a government for billionaires by billionaires – they don’t give a damn about working people. We need to fight back.”

“This is a government for billionaires by billionaires – they don’t give a damn about working people. We need to fight back” – Nabilah Islam Parkes

Billionaires have exerted an unfair influence on democratic politics for some time, of course – to an extent, this is nothing new. “In some ways, Elon and DOGE are just the face of big money in politics, writ large,” says Rosenthal. “What’s unusual about this, though, is that Elon has taken an active role in the administration and is willing to be the face of the execution of all this ultra-reactionary policy.” Some believe this will also open the doors for other billionaires to push harder for their own agendas, including Musk’s fellow social media titans like Mark Zuckerberg.

Against this backdrop, where do we find cause for hope? “It’s a very dark time,” says Rosenthal, but he points to the protests themselves – where “labour unions, pissed-off federal employees, and grassroots activists” stand up against the government’s “egregious violations” of democratic norms – as a source of inspiration. “It seemed like the opposition was fairly stunned by the speed and ferocity of Trump’s first few weeks in office, but are now starting to get their legs back under them,” he adds. “Having said that, I don’t think we’ve seen nearly enough from the Democratic Party itself. They still appear to be paralyzed by indecision on how to approach the current moment.”

How can you help change that? A good way to get started is to simply attend a protest, Rosenthal suggests, but it’s also important to find local groups to organise with, and pool resources. This could be a union, or it could be another grassroots organisation, which has local chapters around the country. There are lots of groups “organising to defeat Trump and his neofascist goons,” he continues. “I can’t overstate how much better it feels to fight the ultraright when you’re doing it with a group of comrades who you know will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you.”

Not everyone can “fight the ultraright” in person, of course. For those who can’t attend a protest, Rosenthal still encourages getting in touch with local organisations and offering to help wherever you can, especially since a majority of organising now takes place online. “We also shouldn’t forget that we still, technically, live in a democracy and our elected representatives need to hear from us,” he adds, which might involve calling elected representatives or attending town halls. “Make your member of congress squirm. If they’re a Republican, ask them why they’re selling our country off for spare parts. If they’re a Democrat, ask them, specifically, what they’re going to do to stand up to Trump and Musk.”

Ultimately, the end goal is to translate the words and images on a protest banner into meaningful actions. A grassroots protest movement is a good start, but it needs to result in actual political change. “Party leaders need to start thinking outside the box about how to support and further galvanize the organic energy that’s coming from the grassroots right now,” Rosenthal agrees. “We need to see a more oppositional, confrontational stance from the party, that matches what we’re seeing in these street protests.”