All photos made February 17, 2025 in Columbia, South Carolina. ©Sean Rayford

About 750 demonstrators gathered at the statehouse in Columbia, SC on Presidents day as part of a national day of action, protesting recent actions by the Donald Trump administration.

The group spent the first 45 minutes at the intersection of U.S. #1 and Main St., walked around the statehouse and then rallied at the base of the steps with a rotation of speakers.

State House Rep. Heather Bauer, a Democrat from District 75, criticized moderate Republican colleagues for voting against their positions on abortion bans, gun control, education funding and fiscal responsibility. But Bauer didn’t leave her critiques for just one side of the aisle.

“Not everyone with a D beside of the name is great. We need fighters who are going to stand up and speak for the truth, who are not afraid to lose their election. What I see too much is complacency and people worrying about the next election.

If this is your first rally, congratulations.

This is where I got my start. I was holding signs for Planned Parenthood, protecting our rights. I ran for three offices before I won in 2022. My district, just down the road four miles, is extremely competitive district. It was held by a 10 year Republican incumbent. When I ran, I only ran on one issue, and it was abortion,” said Bauer.

Megan “B,” representing Indivisible Columbia spoke to the crowd about the importance of community activism and standing together against attacks on democracy. “

“If you feel overwhelmed by the chaos of this administration, you are not alone. That is the point. To flood us with so much corruption, so many attacks, that we freeze. But we are not going to freeze. We are going to fight back,” said Megan.

Anson Foster, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, helped out with the event to “reject the extreme right billionaire agenda of Trump and his administration and the whole billionaire ruling class,” said Foster, “In our view, the people didn't elect Donald Trump. What the people did was they mostly stayed home and rejected this system. It was a rejection. It wasn't a mandate for Trump to govern. It was a rejection of this two party capitalist system.”