Introduction to the Protests

The United States witnessed a wave of protests across its cities, from New York to Alaska, as thousands of demonstrators rallied against President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. The protests, organized under the banner of "Hands Off!" rallies, saw the participation of over 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans, and election activists.

The Scale of the Protests

The demonstrations were held in more than 1,200 locations across all 50 states, with thousands of protesters expressing their discontent over the administration’s policies on government downsizing, the economy, immigration, and human rights. The rallies appeared peaceful, with no immediate reports of arrests. In cities like Midtown Manhattan and Anchorage, Alaska, protesters assailed Trump and Musk’s actions, which they believed were detrimental to the country’s well-being.

Key Issues of Concern

Demonstrators voiced their anger over the administration’s moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people, and cut funding for health programs. Musk, as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, has been instrumental in the downsizing efforts, claiming that he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

Reaction from the White House

When asked about the protests, the White House issued a statement saying that President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. The statement also criticized the Democrats’ stance on giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which, according to the White House, would bankrupt these programs and harm American seniors.

The Human Rights Campaign’s Stance

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign advocacy group, criticized the administration’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community at the rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Robinson stated that the attacks on the community are personal and that they are trying to ban books, slash HIV prevention funding, and criminalize doctors, teachers, families, and lives.

Protests Across the Country

In Boston, demonstrators brandished signs such as "Hands off our democracy" and "Hands off our Social Security." Mayor Michelle Wu expressed her refusal to accept a world where threats and intimidation are government tactics and values like diversity and equality are under attack. In Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, hundreds of people demonstrated near Trump’s golf course, chanting slogans against the president.

Personal Stories of Protesters

Roger Broom, a 66-year-old retiree from Delaware County, Ohio, said that he used to be a Reagan Republican but has been turned off by Trump. "He’s tearing this country apart," Broom said. "It’s just an administration of grievances." Archer Moran of Port St. Lucie, Florida, said, "They need to keep their hands off of our Social Security." Moran added that the list of what they need to keep their hands off of is too long.

Conclusion

The "Hands Off!" rallies marked a significant moment in the opposition movement against President Trump and Elon Musk. With thousands of protesters participating across the country, the demonstrations highlighted the deep-seated concerns of Americans regarding the administration’s policies on various issues. As the country continues to grapple with these challenges, it remains to be seen how the government will respond to the demands of its citizens.

FAQs

• Q: What were the main issues that the protesters were concerned about?
  A: The protesters were concerned about the administration’s policies on government downsizing, the economy, immigration, and human rights.
• Q: Who organized the "Hands Off!" rallies?
  A: The rallies were organized by over 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans, and election activists.
• Q: Where were the protests held?
  A: The protests were held in more than 1,200 locations across all 50 states.
• Q: What was the response of the White House to the protests?
  A: The White House issued a statement saying that President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries.
• Q: What was the role of Elon Musk in the administration’s policies?
  A: Musk, as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, has been instrumental in the downsizing efforts, claiming that he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

  Crowds of people angry about the way President Donald Trump is running the country marched and rallied in scores of American cities Saturday in the biggest day of demonstrations yet by an opposition movement trying to regain its momentum after the shock of the Republican’s first weeks in office.
  So-called Hands Off! demonstrations were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The rallies appeared peaceful, with no immediate reports of arrests.
  Thousands of protesters in cities dotting the nation from Midtown Manhattan to Anchorage, Alaska, including at multiple state capitols, assailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk ‘s actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights. On the West Coast, in the shadow of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, protesters held signs with slogans like “Fight the oligarchy.” Protesters chanted as they took to the streets in Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, where they marched from Pershing Square to City Hall.
  Demonstrators voiced anger over the administration’s moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut funding for health programs.
  Musk, a Trump adviser who runs Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in the downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
  Asked about the protests, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
  Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign advocacy group, criticized the administration’s treatment of the LBGTQ+ community at the rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where Democratic members of Congress also took the stage.
  “The attacks that we’re seeing, they’re not just political. They are personal, y’all,” Robinson said. “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.”
  “We don’t want this America, y’all,” Robinson added. “We want the America we deserve, where dignity, safety and freedom belong not to some of us, but to all of us.”
  In Boston, demonstrators brandished signs such as “Hands off our democracy” and “Hands off our Social Security.”
  Mayor Michelle Wu said she does not want her children and others’ to live in a world in which threats and intimidation are government tactics and values like diversity and equality are under attack.
  “I refuse to accept that they could grow up in a world where immigrants like their grandma and grandpa are automatically presumed to be criminals,” Wu said.
  Roger Broom, 66, a retiree from Delaware County, Ohio, was one of hundreds who rallied at the Statehouse in Columbus. He said he used to be a Reagan Republican but has been turned off by Trump.
  “He’s tearing this country apart,” Broom said. “It’s just an administration of grievances.”
  Hundreds of people also demonstrated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a few miles from Trump’s golf course in Jupiter, where he spent the morning at the club’s Senior Club Championship. People lined both sides of PGA Drive, encouraging cars to honk and chanting slogans against Trump.
  “They need to keep their hands off of our Social Security,” said Archer Moran of Port St. Lucie, Florida.
  “The list of what they need to keep their hands off of is too long,” Moran said. “And it’s amazing how soon these protests are happening since he’s taken office.”
  The president golfed in Florida Saturday and planned to do so again Sunday, the White House said.
  Activists have staged nationwide demonstrations against Trump and Musk multiple times since Trump returned to office. But before Saturday the opposition movement had yet to produce a mass mobilization like the Women’s March in 2017, which brought thousands of women to Washington after Trump’s first inauguration, or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted in multiple cities after George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis in 2020.
  In Charlotte, North Carolina, protesters said they were supporting a variety of causes, from Social Security and education to immigration and women’s reproductive rights.
  “Regardless of your party, regardless of who you voted for, what’s going on today, what’s happening today is abhorrent,” said Britt Castillo, 35, of Charlotte. "It’s disgusting, and as broken as our current system might be, the way that the current administration is going about trying to fix things — it is not the way to do it. They’re not listening to the people."
  Among thousands marching through downtown San Jose, California, were Deborah and Douglas Doherty.
  Deborah, a graphic designer, is a veteran of the 2017 Women’s March and was nervous that fewer people have turned out against Trump this time. “All the cities need to show up,” she said. “Now people are kind of numb to it, which is itself frightening.”
  Associated Press journalists Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, Fatima Hussein