‘Hands off!’ rallies sweep across US: Thousands assail Trump and Musk
‘Hands off!’ rallies sweep across US: Thousands assail Trump and Musk
M.U.H
06/04/202535
Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets in all 50 US states on Saturday to participate in the “Hands Off!” rallies, a series of demonstrations aimed at denouncing President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
The coordinated day of action saw nearly 500,000 demonstrators gathering in over 1,200 locations across the United States, including all 50 state capitals, as well as major cities such as New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.
The protests were organized in response to growing concerns about the Trump administration’s policies and the influence of Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on the government’s decision-making processes.
“The aim is to get people to rise up,” said one protester in Washington, DC, one of some 1,200 demonstrations that formed the largest single day of protest against Trump and Musk since they began to overhaul the US government and expand presidential authority.
“Well, I’ve marched before when he first got elected a number of years ago and I still can’t believe that he got elected again. And I can’t believe that’s he’s tanking the economy and he’s tanking the government and it’s all being done for him and for Elon Musk and all the billionaires and everybody else,” said protester James Utt, 60, an executive assistant from Los Angeles
“It’s not for me, it’s not for the people who live in my neighborhood, it’s for all of these billionaires. I’m glad to see so many people came out today. I mean, we need it. I want more people to show up and get him out of office. He’s terrible,” the protester added.
“What’s at stake is our democracy and it’s important to take a stand and not just silently let it happen,” said Kristen Messina from Santa Monica.
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist, said she drove to the rally to protest Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education.”
Demonstrators carried signs reading “hands off our democracy” and “don’t trust Elon Musk,” and chanted “hands off,” as they marched.
Other protesters wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and carried “Free Palestine” signs.
Hours before the protests were due to kick off in the United States, hundreds of anti-Trump Americans living in Europe gathered in Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris and London to voice opposition to Trump’s sweeping makeover of US foreign and domestic policies.
“It’s very troubling because America is at a turning point,” said one French-American protester named Rebecca living in Paris.
The “Hands Off!” rallies across the US on Saturday were the largest demonstrations since Trump returned to office in January.
The protests were fueled by a wide range of concerns shared by Americans across the country, including Trump’s controversial immigration policies, such as the travel ban and increased deportations, especially of pro-Palestine college students, as well as his administration’s rollback of environmental regulations, healthcare protections, and social safety nets.
In the case of Elon Musk, protesters voiced concerns over the billionaire’s growing influence in politics, his disregard for workers’ rights and safety, as well as the potential implications of his business ventures, such as SpaceX and Tesla, on job market stability and the privatization of space exploration.
Trump, who shook financial markets with his tariffs announcement this week, spent the day in Florida, playing a round of golf before returning to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Some four miles from Mar-a-Lago, more than 400 people gathered - and drivers honked their horns in support of protesters who held up signs, including one which read: “Markets tank, Trump golfs.”
The White House has said Trump plans to go golfing again on Sunday.
