Protesters tee off on Trump, Musk in global 'Hands Off' rallies

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 2:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

Opponents of U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rallied crossed the U.S. and astir the globe on Saturday to protestation the administration's actions connected authorities downsizing, the economy, quality rights and different issues.

In the United States, much than 1,200 "Hands Off!" demonstrations were planned by much than 150 groups, including civilian rights organizations, labour unions, 2SLGBTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The protestation sites included the National Mall successful Washington, D.C., authorities capitols and different locations successful each 50 states.

Protesters assailed the Trump administration's moves to occurrence thousands of national workers, adjacent Social Security Administration tract offices, efficaciously shutter full agencies, deport immigrants, standard backmost protections for transgender radical and chopped national backing for wellness programs.

Rallies were besides held successful countries astir the world, including the U.K., Portugal, Germany and India.

Musk, a Trump advisor who owns Tesla, SpaceX and the societal media level X, has played a cardinal relation successful authorities downsizing arsenic caput of the recently created Department of Government Efficiency. He says helium is redeeming taxpayers billions of dollars.

WATCH | Elon Musk's Canadian-raised, apartheid-supporting grandfather:

Speaking astatine the Washington protest, Paul Osadebe, a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a labour national steward, criticized Trump, Musk and others successful the medication for not valuing the enactment national employees bash successful creating "a baseline of economical information and powerfulness for moving people."

"Billionaires and oligarchs don't worth thing different than nett and power, and they definite arsenic hellhole don't worth you oregon your beingness oregon your community," helium said. "And we're seeing that they don't attraction who they person to destruct oregon who they person to wounded to get what they want."

In Massachusetts, thousands of radical gathered connected Boston Common holding signs including "Hands Off Our Democracy" and "Diversity Equity Inclusion Makes America Strong. Hands Off!" In Ohio, hundreds rallied successful rainy conditions astatine the statehouse successful Columbus.

Roger Broom, 66, a retiree from Delaware County, Ohio, said astatine the Columbus rally that helium utilized to beryllium a Reagan Republican but has been turned disconnected by Trump.

"He's tearing this state apart," Broom said. "It's conscionable an medication of grievances."

Hundreds of radical besides demonstrated successful Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a fewer kilometres from Trump's play people successful Jupiter, wherever helium spent the greeting astatine the elder nine championship. People lined some sides of PGA Drive, encouraging cars to honk and chanting slogans against Trump.

Archer Moran from Port St. Lucie, Fla., said, "They request to support their hands disconnected of our Social Security."

"The database of what they request to support their hands disconnected of is excessively long," Moran said. "And it's astonishing however soon these protests are happening since he's taken office."

The president plans to spell golfing again Sunday, according to the White House.

Asked astir the protests, the White House said successful a statement: "President Trump's presumption is clear: helium volition ever support Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats' stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to amerciable aliens, which volition bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors."

Activists person staged nationwide demonstrations against Trump oregon Musk aggregate times since Trump returned to office. But the absorption question has yet to nutrient a wide mobilization similar the Women's March successful 2017, which brought thousands of women to Washington, D.C., aft Trump's archetypal inauguration, oregon the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted successful aggregate cities aft George Floyd's sidesplitting successful 2020.