A wave of demonstrations swept across the United States on Saturday as thousands took to the streets to protest US President Donald Trump and his close adviser Elon Musk over sweeping government downsizing, cuts to public services and controversial social policies.
More than 1,200 “Hands Off!” rallies were held in all 50 states, drawing civil rights advocates, labour unions, LGBTQ+ groups, veterans, and other organisations demanding a halt to the administration’s aggressive reshaping of the federal government.
As per new agency AP, protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, DC, state capitols, and city centres from New York to Los Angeles.
Critics have accused the administration of gutting democratic institutions. “They’ve woken up a sleeping giant, and they haven’t seen nothing yet,” activist Graylan Hagler told the crowd in DC, reported news agency AFP.
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and X, who now heads the newly established department of government efficiency(DOGE), has come under fire for pushing massive cuts across federal agencies. Musk maintains that these efforts are saving taxpayers billions, but many Americans see the moves as dismantling essential services.
According to AP, protesters criticised the closure of Social Security offices, mass firings of federal workers, and proposed cuts to healthcare and HIV funding.
Kelley Robinson, head of the Human Rights Campaign, condemned the rollback of protections for LGBTQ+ communities, telling attendees in Washington, “They’re trying to ban our books, they’re slashing HIV prevention funding, they’re criminalizing our doctors, our teachers, our families and our lives.”
Similar sentiments echoed in cities nationwide. In New York, demonstrators marched through Manhattan with signs reading “Hands Off Our Democracy” and “Diversity Equity Inclusion Makes America Strong.”
In Boston Common, thousands more called out the administration’s stance on education and Social Security.
The protests also extended beyond US borders. Demonstrators also gathered in European cities like London and Berlin, expressing concerns over Trump’s global impact. Liz Chamberlin, a dual US-UK citizen in London, said, “It’s economic lunacy... He is going to push us into a global recession.”
Despite the demonstrations, the White House dismissed the unrest, with officials insisting Trump remains committed to protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible Americans.
Protests across America
In a statement cited by AP, the administration claimed Democrats want to give these benefits to undocumented immigrants, which they argue would “bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
Still, protestors like 66-year-old Roger Broom, a former Reagan Republican, voiced deep concern. “He’s tearing this country apart,” Broom said in Columbus, Ohio. “It’s just an administration of grievances”, he added.
The rallies marked one of the largest coordinated protest efforts since Trump returned to office, though still shy of the scale of the 2017 Women’s March or the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement. But as many speakers warned, Saturday may just be the beginning.