Thousands across Wisconsin protest cuts under Trump, Musk

Thousands of Wisconsin residents turned out Saturday to protest federal funding cuts and layoffs made by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

There were dozens of demonstrations planned across the state, including in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Green Bay and Eau Claire. 

The “Hands Off!” protests came from a national partnership of labor unions, pro-democracy and Democratic groups, and coincided with a national protest in Washington, D.C. and other major U.S. cities.

Madison protesters worry about future of Medicaid, LGBTQ+ rights

Thousands gathered near the Capitol in Madison, carrying signs like “what Cory said,” referencing New Jersey democratic Sen. Cory Booker’s record-breaking speech and “Elon, Wisconsin has unfriended you,” referencing the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court election.

They chanted “This is what Democracy looks like,” and “Trump and Musk have got to go,” and marched down State Street.

Ella Gelhausen, 11, of McFarland attended her first protest with her moms and grandmother. She said a big reason they came out is because she relies on Medicaid for treatment.

“Because I have ADHD, autism and anxiety,” Gelhausen said. “It’s kind of a big deal if that gets taken away.”

Gelhausen receives medicine, therapies and resources that are fully funded through Medicaid, her mother, Erin Taylor, said.

“That’s a huge help to our family,” Taylor said. “It would be a big loss if we didn’t have that funding.”

Gelhausen said she also came out to support her parents and friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“And because I’m a girl, obviously,” she said. “Women’s rights.”

Mary Westring, 84, of Madison said she came out because she’s worried about hatred and division in the country.

“I’m not so much worried about increased prices,” Westring said. “That’s minor compared to the injustice that we’re seeing.”

“They’re using fear, they’re creating fear of our neighbors,” she said of the Trump administration. “It breaks my heart.”

Westring said decades ago, she attended marches to protest the Vietnam War.

“And it worked, this is gonna work,” she said. “The whole country is rising up.”

La Crosse area residents protest cuts to veterans health care, jobs

In La Crosse, more than 500 protesters lined the busy intersection of Losey Boulevard and State Road, chanting and cheering as cars honked their support. A small band of musicians wandered among the crowd playing songs like “This Land is Your Land.”

People held signs calling on the Trump administration to protect programs like Social Security and Medicaid. Others called for support for scientific research, public education and civil rights.

Liz Daines from La Farge brought her parents from Sparta to the protest. Her mother, Sharon Daines, worked as a Head Start teacher for 18 years, and her father, Russell, is an Army veteran and worked in the steamfitters union for 40 years.

“I’m just feeling like everything that my parents have worked for is just under siege, and we don’t want to see that,” Liz said. “So I’m just feeling really frustrated, and this [event] gives us hope.”

Russell Daines said he’s worried the Trump administration’s decisions will send the country into a recession, hurting union jobs and his pension. He’s also concerned about the cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It’s really going to affect the veterans and what they receive,” he said.

Kim Aponte and her daughter, Maggie, held signs decorated in colorful stars that called for “hands off” LGBTQ+ rights and the nation’s history. Aponte said she’s been to protests in the past, but Saturday’s demonstration was “by far the most energetic.”

“We’re sick of Trump and Elon [Musk] destroying the government,” she said. “They’re tearing down the economy. They’re tearing down the government. They’re trying to take away our rights. They’re trying to take away our benefits, and they’re basically targeting the working class.”

Lisa Vander is a visiting professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse whose research focuses on the next generation of jobs and the rise of artificial intelligence. She said the federal grant funding for education and workforce development that she hoped would support her work has been cut.

“How are we going to innovate new jobs if we don’t have [research and development] and if we don’t have public support to support new businesses?” Vander said. “They’ve cut all of that off. Mathematically, that doesn’t work.”