This Thursday, thousands of Americans will take to the streets in over 900 cities with a message that’s loud, clear, and long overdue: we’re sick of billionaires running this country into the ground.
It’s May Day, the international workers’ holiday that got its roots right here in the U.S.—Chicago, 1886, to be exact—when workers demanded an eight-hour day and sparked a movement. Now, 139 years later, the echoes are back, but this time the stakes are even higher.
We’re in the middle of Trump’s second term, a dystopian fever dream powered by billionaire cronies and corporate overlords. And if you think that’s hyperbole, consider this: Elon Musk is practically serving as deputy president—slashing food safety, boosting actual neo-Nazis, and turning federal agencies into his personal tech labs. The man is polling like mold, and yet here we are.
The official banner of these May Day protests? “For the Workers, Not the Billionaires.” And it’s not just unions anymore. Alongside the National Education Association and the Flight Attendants, you’ll find groups like Planned Parenthood, the Sunrise Movement, Indivisible, and even the Center for American Progress marching together. Hell, even the Working Families Party and MoveOn are side-by-side on this one.
Bernie Sanders is headlining the Philadelphia rally, and he’s not mincing words. The “oligarchic plague” of this administration isn’t just about tax cuts for the rich—it’s about a government that’s openly for sale. Trump’s administration has practically become an arm of Silicon Valley’s darkest impulses, from privacy invasions to the gutting of social services.
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And it’s not just about Trump. It’s about a system that lets billionaires like Musk and Bezos play emperor while workers lose retirement benefits, health care, and even the basic right to organize without retaliation. We’ve got a president who ran on “America First” but governs like it’s Billionaires First, Workers Nowhere.
Sure, striking in America is risky. You can be fired, blackballed, and lose your health insurance. That’s exactly how the system is rigged—to keep workers scared and compliant. But something’s shifting. Support for unions is the highest it’s been in 60 years. People are organizing in Hollywood, on the docks, in classrooms, and even in red states.
This May Day, the old alliances are falling away. The left-center divide? Blurred. The establishment vs. the progressives? United, at least for now. Because no matter your political flavor, one thing is clear: the ultra-rich are not only hoarding wealth—they’re dismantling the public good brick by brick.
The question now is: can this movement last longer than a day? Can this wave of anger turn into sustained power?
Because while Trump and Musk may delight in protests (especially if they think it won’t hurt them), what they fear is organization. What they fear is solidarity. What they fear is millions of workers realizing they can stop the machine.
As one labor organizer put it, “The more we talk about what we’re willing to do, the less likely we are to need to do it.” But make no mistake—if they push, workers are getting ready to shove back.
May Day 2025 isn’t just a protest. It’s a warning.
The oligarchs had better listen.
