DES MOINES — Protesters gathered Monday at the Iowa Capitol to denounce the executive actions taken by President Donald Trump so far during his second term, and the involvement of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s in his administration.

Held on Presidents Day, the “No King Day” protest at the Capitol was one of many across the country.

The protest was a part of the 50501 movement, which stands for “50 protests, 50 states, one day.” It is a grassroots movement originally organized over platforms including Reddit, Discord and Instagram.

Protesters called on Iowa lawmakers to denounce the actions of Trump and Musk, including Musk’s leadership of the “Department of Government Efficiency” and cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programs.

Attendees chanted “President Musk must go,” and “Not my president.”

Randolph Scott, vice president of the United Auto Workers Local 450 Human and Civil Rights Committee, attended the protest. He said he is concerned about Trump further dividing the country.

“We may disagree, but that is the best part about our country, is that it’s OK to disagree, to try and figure out a better way to resolve whatever our issues may be,” Scott said. “But he seems to be comfortable with dividing this country.”

A similar protest also was held at the Iowa Capitol earlier this month, where three people were arrested and charged with interfering with official acts after being removed from the building by Iowa State Patrol troopers stationed at the Capitol.

Bernie Sanders holding event in Iowa City

Bernie Sanders, the independent U.S. senator from Vermont and two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, will host an event Saturday in Iowa City.

The event, hosted by Sanders’ campaign arm and titled “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here,” is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday at The Englert Theatre in Iowa City. It is the second event on what will be a national tour, Sanders’ campaign says.

Attendance is free but requires a ticket, which can be obtained online at englert.org/events.

Doors are scheduled to open for the event at 10:30 a.m., and no bags, signs or firearms are allowed.

Sanders was a narrow second to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Iowa Democratic presidential precinct caucuses. In 2020 in Iowa, Sanders and Pete Buttigieg finished atop a race that ultimately was too close to call, although Buttigieg was awarded slightly more delegate equivalents by a small margin.

State program returns $4.6M

More than $4.6 million in unclaimed property and finances was returned during a recent highlighting of the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program conducted by the Iowa Treasurer’s Office, the agency said.

After the office highlighted the program — which seeks to reunite Iowans’ unclaimed property and finances held by the office — during its 2025 Unclaimed Property Day celebration, there were more than half a million visits to the program’s website greatiowatreasurehunt.gov and more than 13,000 claims were made, according to the Treasurer’s Office. That activity was an increase of 92 percent from the previous year, the office said.

The largest claim was more than $250,000, according to the Treasurer’s Office.

Iowa Treasurer Roby Smith said the celebration was “a huge success” and noted that his office still has more than half a billion dollars in unclaimed property and finances.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau