Trump’s attacks on public services spur protests in Michigan

A resistance movement is growing in Michigan as concerned residents come out in protest against President Donald Trump’s policies, including the targeting of public services such as education and health care.

Anti-Trump protests in 2025 look different than they did during the president’s first term, said Ryan Bates, an organizer with the Michigan Resistance Coalition, which comprises 30 social justice and grassroots organizations across the state. This time, there’s a higher level of public engagement than at the same point in Trump’s presidency eight years ago, Bates said, as it appears Trump has little standing in the way of his demands.

“In the last administration, he was surrounded, to a degree, by advisers who sought to constrain his worst impulses,” Bates said. “Now he’s surrounded by enablers who want to amplify his worst impulses. … We need to get organized and fight back because if we don’t, there’s not going to be a democracy left for us to enjoy in the future.”

Michiganders have taken to bridges, retail stores and even car dealerships in recent months to voice their frustrations with Trump and other Republicans in charge of the federal government. On April 5, large-scale demonstrations are planned across the state, including in Lansing, Detroit and Saginaw, as part of a national “Hands Off!” mass mobilization effort to demand “an end to attacks on Social Security, Medicaid, and American democracy,” according to the event flyer.

In the face of political unrest, local organizing gives people an opportunity to reclaim their power, said Keeley Jones, an organizer with Indivisible North Oakland, the Oakland County chapter of the national grassroots social movement founded during Trump’s first term.

“There’s definitely just an astronomical amount of things happening right now, and it’s really easy for people to kind of tune it out and go numb,” Jones said, adding that events such as the marches on April 5 give people a clear and direct way to interact while holding elected officials accountable.

Newcomers are also increasingly entering the political fray: Organizers say they are seeing a boost in event attendance by people who aren’t usually civically engaged. Jones, a former hairdresser who is now a stay-at-home mom, just became involved herself in the past few months.

“I just kind of wanted to be setting a positive example and be able to tell my child when they were looking back on all of this, like, Well, what did you do? Did you try to stop things? Did you try to help people?” Jones said. “And that’s sort of what motivated me to take action.”

Cara Erskine is a U.S. Air Force veteran and social worker who founded Great Lakes Democracy Alliance Indivisible, an Indivisible chapter in Southeast Michigan.

She said she has participated in activist work before, organizing press conferences and fundraisers, but nothing on this scale. In March, she hosted a rally at the state Capitol in downtown Lansing with roughly 150 attendees and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist as the keynote speaker.

“We’re going to need new leaders,” Erskine said. “We’re going to need new people, but that’s going to require a lot of working together.”

Town halls have traditionally been a way for constituents to speak directly to their representatives about issues affecting their communities, but after facing a backlash from angry residents, Republican Congress members have been notably absent from such events this session. Indivisible North Oakland invited Rep. Lisa McClain, who represents Michigan’s 9th Congressional District, to a town hall in March, but she didn’t show.

Instead, Jones said, the event turned into an open forum where community members were still able to discuss issues they would have otherwise talked about with McClain.

“Ultimately, I think people are just really scared right now,” Jones said. “They’re really concerned about losing access to health care. They’re concerned about the cost of living being impacted by tariffs and trade wars. They’re concerned about how students are going to be affected by the Department of Education being dissolved.”

Despite the lack of communication, Erskine said, she believes elected officials are taking note of the unrest occurring throughout the country, but in order to make real change, consistent pressure is still needed.

“I think we’re getting there. It’s going to take a long time,” Erskine said. “I just hope there’s not too much damage to undo by the time we get there.”

Among its other actions, the Trump administration has cracked down on free speech, arresting student protesters and threatening to pull funding from universities over public demonstrations on campus.

Bates said he’s not personally afraid of Trump’s retaliation. Rather, he said, Trump’s threats only underscore the urgency of rallying together against him.

“Our silence will not save us, so the way to protect yourself right now is to join an organization and fight,” Bates said.