First Year Anniversary of Trump Regime Takedown
February 14, 2026 marked the one-year anniversary of Trump Regime Takedown, a weekly protest in San Francisco hosted by Indivisible SF and 50501. Read how we’ve been able to sustain what may be the longest weekly protest we’ve had in this city in years.
How did protests begin on the corner of Van Ness and O’Farrell St in San Francisco?
The nationwide Tesla Takedown movement started in February 2025 with protests spontaneously appearing outside of Tesla showrooms across the country, in direct response to attempts by Elon Musk to dismantle large parts of the federal government with DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. In San Francisco, fitness instructor Patty Moddelmog quickly organized a protest in front of the SF Tesla showroom on February 17 and continued to host it on a weekly basis through May.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Rachel Podlishevsky
How did Tesla Takedown become Trump Regime Takedown?
By the summertime, Elon Musk had left his position in the Trump Administration and Patty had moved on to other things. Weekly attendance started dwindling and the perpetual question became: “Why are we still protesting against Elon Musk in front of Tesla?”
In August, a small group of protest regulars approached Indivisible SF and 50501 to become the new co-hosts. We changed the name to Trump Regime Takedown in order to broaden the focus beyond just Elon Musk/Tesla and this month (February 2026) marks our one-year anniversary.
Sustaining a weekly protest for a solid year is quite an achievement. It may be the longest sustained weekly protest we’ve had in San Francisco in years.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Rachel Podlishevsky
ProBonoPhoto.org/Terry Scussel
Can you explain the reasons for maintaining that particular location?
The strategy behind this new phase of our weekly protest is to hold down that corner not only for regular weekly protests but also to serve as a central location for emergency protests when there’s not enough time or energy to organize a larger event. This plan has definitely come in handy, including last month, as the Trump administration has sped up their efforts to destroy our democracy.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Terry Scussel
How successful have you been in attracting people to your protests?
Recent news events have definitely increased attendance: The militaristic presence of ICE in major cities, the assassination of two US citizens who were peaceful protesters, and the Trump Administration’s refusal to release the Epstein files, just to name a few.
People are realizing the urgent need to stand up for our first amendment rights, for democracy, and for free and fair elections. The current political situation has motivated people to make the decision to actively protest on a regular basis.
We’ve held a few emergency anti-ICE protests on that corner and our attendance in the last six weeks has been anywhere from 200 to 1,000 protesters every week. It’s definitely a major ramp-up in attendance from last year.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Rachel Podlishevsky
Why do you think your protest model has had success?
The success of our weekly Trump Regime Takedown (aka TRT) protest is due in part to the relentless news cycle that seems to get worse by the day. People really feel the need to vent and be in company with like-minded people to assure themselves that they’re not crazy, that things really are as bad as they seem.
TRT is more accessible to newcomers because it’s a street protest, it’s not a rally or a march, and everyone is free to come and go and stay however long they want. Also significant is the fact that we’re not connected to any particular political party or agenda, though Indivisible SF and 50501 are definitely on the progressive end of politics.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Terry Scussel
ProBonoPhoto.org/Terry Scussel
How do you get newcomers more involved in the movement beyond just protesting?
Many TRT regulars are activists and we’re well-connected to the resistance movement here in the city. If a person wants to get more plugged in, they can chat with us. We also post a weekly direct action board filled with calls to action that people can do on their own. The easiest way for a newcomer to get more involved is to focus on the issue they’re most passionate about and then find people who are actively doing work on that issue.
Photo by Indivisible SF member
Protesting on that corner every week is only the beginning of a conversation with people to encourage them to take the next step and participate in more direct actions. It’s part of building a people-led movement.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Terry Scussel
ProBonoPhoto.org/Terry Scussel
How do you sustain the energy to get people to show up week after week?
We have a strong community of regular protesters who commit to showing up every week. We are visible examples of resistance and we provide that spark of hope. The response from drivers is incredibly positive so it’s a very cathartic experience. We get a constant stream of honks and waves and fists in the air from drivers, Muni operators, truck drivers, tour buses, tourists in Waymos, you name it. Everyone is happy to see us out there and actively protesting against this Administration.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Stephanie Mohan
ProBonoPhoto.org/Terry Scussel
In some ways, the weekly protesters have become a second family. It’s akin to people visiting their relatives on a weekend, we visit our protest family to catch up on the latest news. All of us have friends, family, or neighbors who can’t take the risk to speak out against the government. We’re out there protesting on their behalf because we’re all part of one beautiful multicultural community in San Francisco and throughout this country and we want to keep it that way.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Stephanie Mohan
Are there other weekly protests in San Francisco?
Yes! Some folks in the Richmond district have recently started their own weekly protest on Fridays from 5 to 6 pm at 22nd Ave. and California St. If you’re hosting a regular protest in your neighborhood, let us know!
Do people opposed to your protests ever show up?
If a random agitator shows up to film us for their TikTok video, we completely ignore them. They don’t tend to stay long because we don’t give them the attention they want. Many of us are trained in deescalation tactics and we are absolutely committed to nonviolent, peaceful protests. We’ve never had any issues with counter-protesters or the police.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Stephanie Mohan
Do you see the Trump regime being taken down any time soon?
Our Trump Regime Takedown protests are part of the process to reclaim our democracy and bring accountability to this lawless Administration, rather than focusing on a specific date when the regime will fail. The regime will not fall overnight, but sustained resistance and getting more Americans to pay attention to the abuse of power by Trump will eventually drive them out of power. Accountability is coming—most likely after this fall’s elections, when Democrats should be able to take back the US House and maybe even the Senate.
In the meantime, we will continue to protest on the corner of Van Ness and O’Farrell St every Saturday from 12 to 2 pm until the Trump regime is gone and we hope everyone will join us! Visit ProBonoPhoto.org to view more Trump Regime Takedown images.
ProBonoPhoto.org/Stephanie Mohan
