OVER one thousand protesters gathered in Washington D.C, joining a mass protests across all 50 states of the United States on Saturday, April 5, against President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally, Elon Musk.
The protest tagged “Hands Off!” was organised by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they describe as a “hostile takeover” and an attack on American rights and freedoms, the event was expected to be the largest single day of protest.
The ICIR that the protests took place at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, the Social Security headquarters, as well as in parks and city halls across the country.
Hundreds of anti-Trump Americans living in Europe also gathered in cities like Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, and London just hours before the protests began in the United States, to express their opposition to Trump’s sweeping overhaul of US foreign and domestic policies.
“We can make sure they hear us,” the organisers said. “Hands Off!” demands “an end to this billionaire power grab.”
Organisers told Reuters that over 20,000 people were expected to attend a rally at the National Mall. According to the event’s website, around 150 activist groups had signed on to participate, with protests planned across all 50 states, as well as in Canada and Mexico.
“Whether you are mobilised by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers read.
“We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”
Organisers say they have three demands: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”
“Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Raskin said in front of a crowd of thousands gathered at the Washington Monument, holding signs condemning the administration. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
A crowd was said to gather around the Washington Monument under gloomy skies and light rain, as some carried Ukrainian flags and others wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and carried “Free Palestine” signs, while Democrats from the United States, including the House of Representatives, blasted Trump’s policies on stage.
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist from Princeton, New Jersey, was among those who gathered by the stage beneath the Washington Monument.
She said she drove down to attend the rally to protest Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education. I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is.”
The ICIR reported that Trump unsettled the global markets and sparked international concern this week by imposing a series of trade tariffs.
With Trump’s approval, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has slashed over 200,000 jobs from the 2.3 million-strong federal workforce. The downsizing has at times been chaotic, even leading to the recall of essential specialists.
On Friday, April 4, the Internal Revenue Service began laying off over 20,000 employees, amounting to roughly 25 per cent of its workforce.
Several hundred protesters gathered outside the Social Security Administration headquarters to oppose cuts to the agency, which provides benefits to the elderly and disabled.
Linda Falcao, who will turn 65 in two months, told the crowd she had been contributing to the Social Security fund since she was 16.
“I’m terrified, I’m angry, I’m pissed, I’m bewildered this could happen to the United States,” she said. “I do love America, and I’m heartbroken. I need my money. I want my money. I want my benefits!” The crowd chanted, “It’s our money!”
However, White House Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston rejected the protesters’ claims, stating that President Trump does not intend to cut Social Security or Medicaid.
Most of Trump’s agenda has been challenged by lawsuits arguing that he has exceeded his authority in efforts to dismiss civil servants, deport immigrants, and roll back transgender rights.
The ICIR reports that Trump returned to office on January 20, issuing a list of executive orders and actions that critics have condemned.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.