Project 50501 has been hyped for months as the “movement to save democracy”—50 protests, 50 states, 1 big tantrum.
Ryan breaks down who’s really funding it, why it’s nothing more than a billionaire‑backed performance piece, and how six months in, it still hasn’t accomplished a single thing.
From fake “grassroots” branding to absurd protest signs, Ryan tears apart the hypocrisy with receipts, stats, and brutal one‑liners.
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Time Codes ⏱️/ Topics: 00:00 Introduction and Critique of Modern Activism01:02 Unveiling Project 50 5103:17 The Illusion of Grassroots Movements04:37 Dark Money and Political Influence06:24 Hypocrisy in Activist Movements07:20 Legal Realities and Immigration Policies10:43 Protest Signs and Misguided Messages14:04 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
00:00:00
They keep calling this activism, well for what?
00:00:03
Half baked talking points and false narratives and echo
00:00:06
chamber rants that they can't even back up?
00:00:09
Meanwhile I've got the receipts, actual numbers, actual facts
00:00:14
that prove all these things that they're crying about while
00:00:19
they're chanting Elon deport Elon.
00:00:21
Did no one tell them that Trump and Musk aren't exactly having a
00:00:25
bromance right about now? Or does it not fit on their pre
00:00:29
printed signs? They call this movement
00:00:32
grassroots. You've got to love a movement
00:00:34
that screams about billionaire influence while waving pre
00:00:38
printed signs that billionaires paid for.
00:00:42
Let's line up the receipts. Women's March, Black lives
00:00:47
Matter, climate strikes. OK, big crowds, viral hashtags,
00:00:52
and about as much real policy change as a Kanye West PR stunt.
00:00:56
Project 5051. It's the same playbook.
00:00:59
Hands off, no kings. Hey guys, welcome back.
00:01:04
So get this, I heard about the other day and it's wild because
00:01:08
it started in January and I spend way too much time on
00:01:11
social media arguing with all of you people.
00:01:15
So what the fuck is this? Now it is another paid protest
00:01:20
movement called Project 5051, which is actually 50501.
00:01:28
We are keeping an eye on something that started bubbling
00:01:31
up in the last few days that's been billed as a 5051 movement.
00:01:36
And the plan here is that people in all 50 states are planning 50
00:01:41
peaceful protests at state capitals for one day.
00:01:51
And it's telling people what to shout, when to shout it, handing
00:01:54
out scripts like it's a bad High School Musical.
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Their big goal is to save democracy, fight Trump's
00:02:02
policies, oppose immigration crackdowns.
00:02:06
And since it was January, it was designed to scream about Elon
00:02:10
Musk and his Department of Government efficiency, otherwise
00:02:14
known as doge. Apparently this thing's been
00:02:16
around, like I said, since January, and I'm just now
00:02:20
hearing about it. So clearly it's having a massive
00:02:24
impact. Can these people even define
00:02:26
fascism? How about democracy?
00:02:28
They want to keep bringing that word up.
00:02:30
What about tariffs? They don't even know.
00:02:32
They don't even understand what what these words mean, but they
00:02:35
throw them around like it's nothing.
00:02:38
They keep calling this activism, well, for what?
00:02:41
Half baked talking points and false narratives and echo
00:02:44
chamber rants that they can't even back up?
00:02:47
Meanwhile, I've got the receipts, actual numbers, actual
00:02:51
facts that prove all these things that they're crying about
00:02:58
Trump's policies. Basically they have worked thus
00:03:01
far. The movement of theirs this
00:03:04
protesting everything is built on nothing but smoke and
00:03:08
hashtags. Come dive in with me.
00:03:10
This is Stay in the great podcast.
00:03:13
It's July 30th, 2025 and let's roll.
00:03:17
So who's pulling the strings? Project 5051.
00:03:21
He's apparently slapping random numbers together.
00:03:23
Makes it sound like a movement instead of a Wi-Fi password.
00:03:28
Elon is somehow involved with this initial mission statement
00:03:32
like I mentioned and I just don't get it.
00:03:34
While they're chanting Elon, deport Elon.
00:03:37
Did no one tell them that Trump and Musk aren't exactly having a
00:03:40
bromance right about now? Or does it not fit on their pre
00:03:44
printed signs? They call this movement
00:03:47
grassroots, but unless your definition of grassroots
00:03:52
includes Reddit planning committees and Discord chats
00:03:56
with 311 subscribers, 17 members, this movement is not
00:04:02
organic. It's orchestrated from the top
00:04:05
down. The name itself is 50 states, 50
00:04:09
protests, one movement. Clever.
00:04:13
This isn't some spontaneous uprising, it's backed by the
00:04:16
usual progressive heavy hitters. Indivisible, Women's March, Move
00:04:21
on, 3rd act movement, Planned Parenthood, League of Women
00:04:26
Voters. They're all PA CS funded by
00:04:29
wealthy donors. No grass roots purity here.
00:04:33
PAC stands for Political Action Committee, which is basically a
00:04:38
group that collects and spends money to help influence
00:04:41
elections. Unit else propels this circus.
00:04:44
Good old dark money, the opaque funding liberal billionaires use
00:04:49
these days. Pretty much nothing screams for
00:04:53
the people like untraceable money bankrolling grassroots
00:04:57
sides. In 2020 alone, Democrat aligned
00:05:01
groups benefited from over $1.5 billion in dark money.
00:05:08
The very thing that these activists pretend to hate?
00:05:12
Billionaires. Who is the party of billionaires
00:05:14
again? Even some of their own lawmakers
00:05:17
admit it. One of my repeat contestants on
00:05:20
the Grievance Games, Jasmine Crockett here in Texas, she said
00:05:24
it straight up. The Democrats are counting on
00:05:27
dark money to get back in power. Not the people's vote, not the
00:05:31
grass roots, but straight up dark money.
00:05:34
Representative Jasmine Crockett got up on that camera and
00:05:37
basically told, we also know that there are donors that I'm
00:05:41
sure are going to be willing to make sure that they are
00:05:43
investing and making sure that they can take down some of these
00:05:46
candidates since they don't want to rule out dark money.
00:05:50
Public records show she took nearly $370 from PACs
00:05:57
including big names AT&T, Iliad, Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Martin,
00:06:04
CVS, Home Depot, and more and more and more.
00:06:08
And this is all despite her prior claim of taking $0.00 from
00:06:13
corporate PACs. You've got to love a movement
00:06:16
that screams about billionaire influence while waving pre
00:06:20
printed signs that billionaires paid for.
00:06:24
These people claim they're saving democracy from Trump.
00:06:29
This shtick is really tiring. It's one of the things that's
00:06:33
pissing me off the most with all the anti Trump rhetoric because
00:06:37
it's their side that is flat out embracing anti democratic
00:06:42
tactics. As usual, let me give you some
00:06:45
receipts. They cheered when Twitter was
00:06:48
censored by the government until Elon freed the platform.
00:06:53
They backed a candidate who received 0 primary votes yet
00:06:59
still got installed. They're pushing policies that
00:07:02
support jailing political opponents.
00:07:04
That's all they tried to do with Donald is put him in jail.
00:07:08
They claimed to champion justice even though they do that and
00:07:11
their approach to illegal immigration laws, Wow, that's a
00:07:14
big middle finger to the legal process and law and order as a
00:07:18
whole in this country. Let's be clear, Donald Trump's
00:07:21
policies are not a threat to democracy.
00:07:25
The real danger lies in circumventing the law entirely.
00:07:30
Let me spell this out for all the people screaming save our
00:07:34
democracy from the protest echo chamber that they live in.
00:07:37
Because apparently civics class wasn't part of the training
00:07:41
packet. Under the 1996 Illegal
00:07:44
Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, the
00:07:48
government can enforce expedited removal for illegal crossers
00:07:52
without court hearings. Mass deportation under the Alien
00:07:57
Enemies Act can happen without any legal process at all,
00:08:01
especially for suspected gang affiliates and people like that.
00:08:06
The idea that that without due process continues to be tossed
00:08:10
around is incorrect on your part.
00:08:14
I just gave you the receipt. Go learn something.
00:08:18
In April 2025, even the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU,
00:08:24
Yeah, that's the same group who always seems to find time for
00:08:26
every woke 'cause they jumped in to block Trump's deportations.
00:08:31
Because apparently, apparently following immigration law now
00:08:35
counts as authoritarianism. Meanwhile, ICE built mass
00:08:38
detention camps, awarded a $1.26 billion tent camp contract in
00:08:44
Fort Bliss, TX, and ramped up arrests nationwide following
00:08:49
immigration laws and often without any judicial
00:08:53
notification. Because they don't have to.
00:08:55
But you'll hear the usual media sob stories about people being
00:08:59
wrongfully detained, but the facts never make those
00:09:02
headlines. It's tugging at the
00:09:04
heartstrings. It's feelings.
00:09:06
Expedited removal is completely legal under laws passed from the
00:09:11
90s. Enforcing the law isn't
00:09:13
authoritarianism. Pretending borders don't exist
00:09:17
in our country is. The left screams
00:09:20
authoritarianism. They love the word while begging
00:09:23
for government to control speech and to go against our laws.
00:09:27
Make it make sense. Let's line up the receipts.
00:09:31
Women's March, Black Lives Matter, climate strikes.
00:09:36
OK, big crowds, viral hashtags, and about as much real policy
00:09:40
change as a Kanye West PR stunt. Project 5051.
00:09:45
It's the same playbook. Hands off, no kings.
00:09:49
You know, millions show up for the photo op and in plenty of
00:09:52
cases the paycheck. And then what?
00:09:55
There are no new laws, no surge in voter turn out.
00:09:59
Just more protest selfies slapped into a curated Instagram
00:10:02
carousel with captions like Democracy saved.
00:10:06
Talk about virtue signalling nonsense and what has ever
00:10:09
changed. Tell me, someone tell me what's
00:10:12
changed because of these protests.
00:10:14
Besides the usual chaos when they inevitably get violent, all
00:10:18
they really do is annoy normal people who are just trying to
00:10:21
live their lives. And once the annoyance fades,
00:10:25
we're laughing a little bit because you're silly, ignorant,
00:10:30
and dangerous all wrapped in one little package with a rainbow
00:10:34
bow. If hashtags and screaming in the
00:10:37
street could pass bills, California would already be the
00:10:40
socialist utopia of their dreams.
00:10:43
Before we end, let me go ahead and do this just for fun.
00:10:45
This is some of the signs that I have seen in some of these
00:10:51
protests over the last six months.
00:10:53
It's just beyond me. This one says no one voted for
00:10:57
Elon. That was a big talking point in
00:11:00
January. No one voted for Elon Musk.
00:11:03
How dare he. Even though the protests were
00:11:06
coordinated via EX, which is Elon's platform.
00:11:11
So they're marching with signs that say no one voted for Elon
00:11:14
on the platform that he saved the self-awareness check.
00:11:17
There is a zero. And by the way, nobody votes for
00:11:20
members of a presidential cabinet.
00:11:23
They're appointed and they always have been base.
00:11:27
This is basic civics people. My goodness.
00:11:30
Here's another sign. Democracy dies in silence.
00:11:34
Posted while chanting Dump Trump and deport Elon.
00:11:40
So a sign claiming democracy dies in silence is delivered
00:11:45
while chanting Dump Trump and deport Elon.
00:11:48
Should I give you a second to think about this?
00:11:51
Call me crazy, but screaming dump the duly elected president
00:11:56
doesn't sound super democratic. Deport Elon?
00:11:59
You mean a guy who's here completely legally and you
00:12:04
defend the illegal criminals? You guys are real champions of
00:12:08
democracy. Like I said, you don't even know
00:12:11
what it means. Lastly, in San Antonio, TX
00:12:13
slogans like this is one. This got me the most you people
00:12:18
when Trump was sworn in. Eggs are so expensive because
00:12:22
all the chickens are in Congress.
00:12:24
That sign made its rounds. Do you want the reality or you
00:12:28
do you want to just scream and ignore me?
00:12:31
I'll go ahead and give you the reality for the people who want
00:12:34
it. That design deserves a moment in
00:12:36
the fire. Egg prices actually peaked at
00:12:40
around $6.23 average per dozen in March of 2025.
00:12:46
Yes, after Trump was sworn in two months, but it was largely
00:12:51
due to an historic bird flu outbreak that killed over 111
00:12:56
million fucking birds and they weren't legislation or
00:13:00
congressional chickens. Prices then dropped in June.
00:13:03
That would be last month to about $3.78 as the supply begins
00:13:10
stabilizing. Cow Main Foods, the largest US
00:13:15
egg producer, pulled in an $876 million profit over nine months.
00:13:21
Taxpayers covered over 1.25 billion and USDA bailouts for
00:13:27
flocks destroyed due to the bird flu.
00:13:29
The Department of Justice is even investigating alleged price
00:13:33
fixing among egg giants like Cal, Maine, Rose Acre Farms,
00:13:39
Hillandale and others. Hardly a symptom of
00:13:42
Congressional chickens jacking up prices.
00:13:45
Just picture this genius protest sign.
00:13:48
Eggs are expensive because chickens are in Congress.
00:13:52
Sure they're busy legislating while real price surge is from
00:13:56
bird flu, corporate profiteering and pandemic subsidies.
00:14:01
That's your civic lesson for the day.
00:14:04
So there it is, Project 5051. Love saying it that way.
00:14:09
The fake movement that proves hashtags and pre printed signs
00:14:14
can't replace actual policy. Six months in and their biggest
00:14:17
accomplishment is still a few viral selfies and some bad
00:14:22
Reddit threads. If this is what saving democracy
00:14:25
looks like, the democracy is doing just fine.
00:14:28
Because these these people aren't changing anything.
00:14:31
They don't even know what democracy means.
00:14:34
Thanks for listening. It's been this has been Stay in
00:14:36
the Grey podcast. Hit the follow button, hit the
00:14:39
like button. Share this episode with somebody
00:14:41
who needs to hear the receipts or someone who just enjoys
00:14:45
hearing other people get schooled.
00:14:49
Get ready for the next one because trust me, I'm just
00:14:52
getting started. We're in this together.
00:14:56
So let's do this. Stay loud, stay bold, stay
00:15:00
factual. Stay in the grey.
00:15:02
Love you guys.