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| Meta Title | Demonstrators rally in 'Hands Off' protests against Trump policies and Musk-led government cuts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Meta Description | Coast-to-coast opposition to upheaval in President Donald Trump's second term took shape Saturday at more than 1,200 events organized by Democratic activists. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Boilerpipe Text | Coast-to-coast opposition to upheaval in President Donald Trump's second term took shape Saturday at more than 1,200 events organized by Democratic activists.
Protesters across the United States took to the streets in a series of "Hands Off" demonstrations decrying Trump's border enforcement and deportation policies, as well as
mass firings
under the Department of Government Efficiency.
In a statement released before the event, organizers said Trump and his billionaire adviser at DOGE, Elon Musk, have created an unnecessary crisis under the belief that "this country belongs to them" exclusively.
"Theyâre taking everything they can get their hands onâour health care, our data, our jobs, our servicesâand daring the world to stop them," the organizers said in the statement. "This is a crisis, and the time to act is now."
People take part in a nationwide "Hands Off!" anti-Trump protest in New York City on Saturday.
Eduardo Munoz / Reuters
In Washington, D.C., demand to participate in the protests was strong enough that alternative events were held for those who couldn't get to the National Mall for the main event, organizer Barbara Green told NBC Washington.
"We thought we would give people a chance to show their strong feelings about what the government is doing and how it is hurting lots and lots of people," she said.
Green characterized Trump's short time in office during term two as chaotic. "I canât even name all the ways things have gone off the rails," she said.
Among those who gathered at the National Monument on Saturday was Trump voter Ramesh Boodram, of Copaigue, New York, who has having some regrets as he contemplates possible disruptions to Social Security.
"Iâm a senior citizen," Boodram said. "He wants to step in to our Social Security checks. Itâs not nice.â
Boodram has been keeping score during Trump's first 75 days and suggested some promises haven't been kept.
"I thought it would be a little better," Boodram said. "Heâs saying he's going to drop the gas prices, the supermarket, the food stuff. But it didnât happen."
Assistant White House press secretary Liz Huston said in an email that âPresident Trumpâs position is clear.â
âHe will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,â she said. âMeanwhile, the Democratsâ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.â
Everett B. Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, rallied demonstrators in Washington.
âWe will not be silenced. We will not bow down. Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our union.â Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our contract.â Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our democracy, hands off our freedom,ââ Kelley told the crowd.
In New England,
a dense crowd of thousands
filled Boston Common and cheered speakers at Parkman Bandstand, who included the Rev. Mariama White-Hammond of New Roots AME Church in Dorchester.
Demonstrators march through the streets during the "Hands Off Massachusetts! Rally/March" in Boston on Saturday.
Joseph Prezioso / AFP / Getty Images
"'We the people' means everyone," she said to rousing approval.
Protester Dan Taylor of Waltham focused on economic and service disruption under Trump.
"As our government is being pulled apart, we want to fight for it," he said.
Organizers in Chicago estimated tens of thousands of people showed up at Daley Plaza to voice their opposition to Trump's policies, though the estimate wasn't verified by police.
Thousands gather for "Hands Off" in Chicago to protest President Donald Trump's and Elon Musk's policies.
Selina Guevara / NBC News
âTheyâre trying to dismantle the federal government, undermine our communities, steal from workers and crash the economy," Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor,
said at the event
.
Philadelphians
showed up by the thousands
for protests that culminated with a major crowd outside City Hall.
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the day was about standing up for core aspirations â including justice and social progress.
âWeâve all got a role to play in our American system to stand up for the rule of law, for whatâs right, for progress,â
he said Saturday on X
.
Shapiro called protesters âpatriotic Americansâ and urged them to continue âraising your voice and defending our country.â
Protesters carry signs and chant slogans Saturday, in Miami.
Marta Lavandier / AP
All along the West Coast, protesters gathered to decry Trumpâs policies.
In downtown Los Angeles, protesters began to amass at Pershing Square for a late-day event.
âWeâre just there to let everybody express their First Amendment rights, and we havenât heard of any scuffles or issues,â Los Angeles Police Officer Drake Madison said.
In San Diego, a long stream of hundreds of protesters marched downtown and was
joined by sideline counterprotesters
, some of whom said they support Trumpâs tariffs.
In Seattle, protesters lined a street and held signs that said âHands Off Social Securityâ and âHands Off Research.â
Demonstrations also took place in cities abroad, including Paris, Berlin and Lisbon, Portugal.
Responding to an X post that accused âDemocrat billionairesâ of funding the protests and calling for them to be âheld legally accountable for the violence and vandalism,â Musk simply replied Saturday: âThey will be.â
Trump appointed Musk, the worldâs wealthiest man, to lead the Department of Government Efficiency in January.
The agency, which was previously known as the U.S. Digital Service, has abruptly laid off thousands of federal workers and shuttered various government programs.
The layoffs and cuts have prompted similar waves of protests in recent weeks.
People protest at the Indiana Capitol in Indianapolis as part of the national Hands Off protests Saturday.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA Today Network via Reuters
Last weekend,
protests broke out
at Tesla dealerships across the country. (Tesla is one of multiple large companies Musk owns or controls.)
Shouting matches over the cuts and Muskâs role within the executive branch have erupted at
GOP town halls
in recent weeks as concerns pile about the federal governmentâs stability.
Amid Muskâs controversial layoffs, the Trump administration has stepped up
high-profile immigration raids and deportations.
Notably, the administration has
apprehended foreign students
at some of the countryâs most prestigious universities and revoked student visas in an unprecedented fashion. The administration also
accidentally deported
a Maryland man who has lived in the United States since 2011 and holds a green card to a high-security jail in El Salvador.
Demonstrators rally Saturday in Asheville, N.C.
Evelyn Hockstein / Reuters
Before Saturday, opposition to Trump lacked the kind of nationwide uproar seen during the 2017 Women's March, which drew thousands to Washington after Trump's first inauguration, or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd in 2020.
Leaders of Saturday's events suggested they was just the beginning of resistance to Trump's immigration hard line and government shakeout.
"They want us to feel powerless, but we have people power, and people power is the best power," Women's March Executive Director Rachel Carmona said Saturday at the National Mall. "We canât just outnumber them. We have to outlast them, and we have to out organize them." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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# Demonstrators rally in 'Hands Off' protests against Trump policies and Musk-led government cuts
âHands Off!â rallies took place in Chicago, Boston, Washington, New York and other cities across the country Saturday.
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[Major nationwide protests erupt against Trump administration](https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/major-nationwide-protests-erupt-against-trump-admin-236639813538)
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April 5, 2025, 6:36 PM UTC / Updated April 6, 2025, 1:37 AM UTC
By [Alexandra Marquez](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/alexandra-marquez-ncpn1256666), [Matt Lavietes](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/matt-lavietes-ncpn1280564) and [Dennis Romero](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/dennis-romero-ncpn856406)
Coast-to-coast opposition to upheaval in President Donald Trump's second term took shape Saturday at more than 1,200 events organized by Democratic activists.

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Protesters across the United States took to the streets in a series of "Hands Off" demonstrations decrying Trump's border enforcement and deportation policies, as well as [mass firings](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/widespread-job-cuts-begin-health-agencies-rcna198859) under the Department of Government Efficiency.
In a statement released before the event, organizers said Trump and his billionaire adviser at DOGE, Elon Musk, have created an unnecessary crisis under the belief that "this country belongs to them" exclusively.
"Theyâre taking everything they can get their hands onâour health care, our data, our jobs, our servicesâand daring the world to stop them," the organizers said in the statement. "This is a crisis, and the time to act is now."

People take part in a nationwide "Hands Off!" anti-Trump protest in New York City on Saturday.Eduardo Munoz / Reuters
In Washington, D.C., demand to participate in the protests was strong enough that alternative events were held for those who couldn't get to the National Mall for the main event, organizer Barbara Green told NBC Washington.
"We thought we would give people a chance to show their strong feelings about what the government is doing and how it is hurting lots and lots of people," she said.
Green characterized Trump's short time in office during term two as chaotic. "I canât even name all the ways things have gone off the rails," she said.
Among those who gathered at the National Monument on Saturday was Trump voter Ramesh Boodram, of Copaigue, New York, who has having some regrets as he contemplates possible disruptions to Social Security.
"Iâm a senior citizen," Boodram said. "He wants to step in to our Social Security checks. Itâs not nice.â
Boodram has been keeping score during Trump's first 75 days and suggested some promises haven't been kept.
"I thought it would be a little better," Boodram said. "Heâs saying he's going to drop the gas prices, the supermarket, the food stuff. But it didnât happen."
Assistant White House press secretary Liz Huston said in an email that âPresident Trumpâs position is clear.â
âHe will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,â she said. âMeanwhile, the Democratsâ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.â
Everett B. Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, rallied demonstrators in Washington.
âWe will not be silenced. We will not bow down. Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our union.â Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our contract.â Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our democracy, hands off our freedom,ââ Kelley told the crowd.
In New England, [a dense crowd of thousands](https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-hands-off-rally-will-join-others-in-protest-of-trump-administration/3677370/) filled Boston Common and cheered speakers at Parkman Bandstand, who included the Rev. Mariama White-Hammond of New Roots AME Church in Dorchester.

Demonstrators march through the streets during the "Hands Off Massachusetts! Rally/March" in Boston on Saturday.Joseph Prezioso / AFP / Getty Images
"'We the people' means everyone," she said to rousing approval.
Protester Dan Taylor of Waltham focused on economic and service disruption under Trump.
"As our government is being pulled apart, we want to fight for it," he said.
Organizers in Chicago estimated tens of thousands of people showed up at Daley Plaza to voice their opposition to Trump's policies, though the estimate wasn't verified by police.

Thousands gather for "Hands Off" in Chicago to protest President Donald Trump's and Elon Musk's policies.Selina Guevara / NBC News
âTheyâre trying to dismantle the federal government, undermine our communities, steal from workers and crash the economy," Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, [said at the event](https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-groups-protestors-rally-against-president-donald-trump-and-elon-musk/3714834/).
Philadelphians [showed up by the thousands](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/protesters-trump-musk-hands-off-rallies/4152591/) for protests that culminated with a major crowd outside City Hall.
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the day was about standing up for core aspirations â including justice and social progress.
âWeâve all got a role to play in our American system to stand up for the rule of law, for whatâs right, for progress,â [he said Saturday on X](https://x.com/GovernorShapiro/status/1908595266787418605).
Shapiro called protesters âpatriotic Americansâ and urged them to continue âraising your voice and defending our country.â

Protesters carry signs and chant slogans Saturday, in Miami. Marta Lavandier / AP
All along the West Coast, protesters gathered to decry Trumpâs policies.
In downtown Los Angeles, protesters began to amass at Pershing Square for a late-day event.
âWeâre just there to let everybody express their First Amendment rights, and we havenât heard of any scuffles or issues,â Los Angeles Police Officer Drake Madison said.
In San Diego, a long stream of hundreds of protesters marched downtown and was [joined by sideline counterprotesters](https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/hands-off-rallies-organize-in-san-diego-to-push-against-trump-administration/3796243/), some of whom said they support Trumpâs tariffs.
In Seattle, protesters lined a street and held signs that said âHands Off Social Securityâ and âHands Off Research.â
Demonstrations also took place in cities abroad, including Paris, Berlin and Lisbon, Portugal.
Responding to an X post that accused âDemocrat billionairesâ of funding the protests and calling for them to be âheld legally accountable for the violence and vandalism,â Musk simply replied Saturday: âThey will be.â
Trump appointed Musk, the worldâs wealthiest man, to lead the Department of Government Efficiency in January.
The agency, which was previously known as the U.S. Digital Service, has abruptly laid off thousands of federal workers and shuttered various government programs.
The layoffs and cuts have prompted similar waves of protests in recent weeks.

People protest at the Indiana Capitol in Indianapolis as part of the national Hands Off protests Saturday.Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA Today Network via Reuters
Last weekend, [protests broke out](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/tesla-elon-musk-anti-trump-protests-rcna198708) at Tesla dealerships across the country. (Tesla is one of multiple large companies Musk owns or controls.)
Shouting matches over the cuts and Muskâs role within the executive branch have erupted at [GOP town halls](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/town-hall-protests-revive-art-bird-dogging-politicians-n724161) in recent weeks as concerns pile about the federal governmentâs stability.
Amid Muskâs controversial layoffs, the Trump administration has stepped uphigh-profile immigration raids and deportations.
Notably, the administration has [apprehended foreign students](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-immigration-authorities-detain-international-tufts-graduate-st-rcna198158) at some of the countryâs most prestigious universities and revoked student visas in an unprecedented fashion. The administration also [accidentally deported](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-trump-accidentally-sent-el-salvador-hearing-rcna199582) a Maryland man who has lived in the United States since 2011 and holds a green card to a high-security jail in El Salvador.

Demonstrators rally Saturday in Asheville, N.C.Evelyn Hockstein / Reuters
Before Saturday, opposition to Trump lacked the kind of nationwide uproar seen during the 2017 Women's March, which drew thousands to Washington after Trump's first inauguration, or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd in 2020.
Leaders of Saturday's events suggested they was just the beginning of resistance to Trump's immigration hard line and government shakeout.
"They want us to feel powerless, but we have people power, and people power is the best power," Women's March Executive Director Rachel Carmona said Saturday at the National Mall. "We canât just outnumber them. We have to outlast them, and we have to out organize them."
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[](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/alexandra-marquez-ncpn1256666)
[Alexandra Marquez](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/alexandra-marquez-ncpn1256666)
Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC News.
[](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/matt-lavietes-ncpn1280564)
[Matt Lavietes](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/matt-lavietes-ncpn1280564)
Matt Lavietes is a reporter for NBC News.
[](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/dennis-romero-ncpn856406)
[Dennis Romero](https://www.nbcnews.com/author/dennis-romero-ncpn856406)
Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
Selina Guevara, Nollaig O'Connor, Fiona Glisson, Samantha Cookinham and Benjamin Deeter contributed.
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| Readable Markdown | Coast-to-coast opposition to upheaval in President Donald Trump's second term took shape Saturday at more than 1,200 events organized by Democratic activists.
Protesters across the United States took to the streets in a series of "Hands Off" demonstrations decrying Trump's border enforcement and deportation policies, as well as [mass firings](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/widespread-job-cuts-begin-health-agencies-rcna198859) under the Department of Government Efficiency.
In a statement released before the event, organizers said Trump and his billionaire adviser at DOGE, Elon Musk, have created an unnecessary crisis under the belief that "this country belongs to them" exclusively.
"Theyâre taking everything they can get their hands onâour health care, our data, our jobs, our servicesâand daring the world to stop them," the organizers said in the statement. "This is a crisis, and the time to act is now."

People take part in a nationwide "Hands Off!" anti-Trump protest in New York City on Saturday.Eduardo Munoz / Reuters
In Washington, D.C., demand to participate in the protests was strong enough that alternative events were held for those who couldn't get to the National Mall for the main event, organizer Barbara Green told NBC Washington.
"We thought we would give people a chance to show their strong feelings about what the government is doing and how it is hurting lots and lots of people," she said.
Green characterized Trump's short time in office during term two as chaotic. "I canât even name all the ways things have gone off the rails," she said.
Among those who gathered at the National Monument on Saturday was Trump voter Ramesh Boodram, of Copaigue, New York, who has having some regrets as he contemplates possible disruptions to Social Security.
"Iâm a senior citizen," Boodram said. "He wants to step in to our Social Security checks. Itâs not nice.â
Boodram has been keeping score during Trump's first 75 days and suggested some promises haven't been kept.
"I thought it would be a little better," Boodram said. "Heâs saying he's going to drop the gas prices, the supermarket, the food stuff. But it didnât happen."
Assistant White House press secretary Liz Huston said in an email that âPresident Trumpâs position is clear.â
âHe will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,â she said. âMeanwhile, the Democratsâ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.â
Everett B. Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, rallied demonstrators in Washington.
âWe will not be silenced. We will not bow down. Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our union.â Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our contract.â Weâll stand up and say, âHands off our democracy, hands off our freedom,ââ Kelley told the crowd.
In New England, [a dense crowd of thousands](https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/boston-hands-off-rally-will-join-others-in-protest-of-trump-administration/3677370/) filled Boston Common and cheered speakers at Parkman Bandstand, who included the Rev. Mariama White-Hammond of New Roots AME Church in Dorchester.

Demonstrators march through the streets during the "Hands Off Massachusetts! Rally/March" in Boston on Saturday.Joseph Prezioso / AFP / Getty Images
"'We the people' means everyone," she said to rousing approval.
Protester Dan Taylor of Waltham focused on economic and service disruption under Trump.
"As our government is being pulled apart, we want to fight for it," he said.
Organizers in Chicago estimated tens of thousands of people showed up at Daley Plaza to voice their opposition to Trump's policies, though the estimate wasn't verified by police.

Thousands gather for "Hands Off" in Chicago to protest President Donald Trump's and Elon Musk's policies.Selina Guevara / NBC News
âTheyâre trying to dismantle the federal government, undermine our communities, steal from workers and crash the economy," Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, [said at the event](https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-groups-protestors-rally-against-president-donald-trump-and-elon-musk/3714834/).
Philadelphians [showed up by the thousands](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/protesters-trump-musk-hands-off-rallies/4152591/) for protests that culminated with a major crowd outside City Hall.
Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the day was about standing up for core aspirations â including justice and social progress.
âWeâve all got a role to play in our American system to stand up for the rule of law, for whatâs right, for progress,â [he said Saturday on X](https://x.com/GovernorShapiro/status/1908595266787418605).
Shapiro called protesters âpatriotic Americansâ and urged them to continue âraising your voice and defending our country.â

Protesters carry signs and chant slogans Saturday, in Miami. Marta Lavandier / AP
All along the West Coast, protesters gathered to decry Trumpâs policies.
In downtown Los Angeles, protesters began to amass at Pershing Square for a late-day event.
âWeâre just there to let everybody express their First Amendment rights, and we havenât heard of any scuffles or issues,â Los Angeles Police Officer Drake Madison said.
In San Diego, a long stream of hundreds of protesters marched downtown and was [joined by sideline counterprotesters](https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/hands-off-rallies-organize-in-san-diego-to-push-against-trump-administration/3796243/), some of whom said they support Trumpâs tariffs.
In Seattle, protesters lined a street and held signs that said âHands Off Social Securityâ and âHands Off Research.â
Demonstrations also took place in cities abroad, including Paris, Berlin and Lisbon, Portugal.
Responding to an X post that accused âDemocrat billionairesâ of funding the protests and calling for them to be âheld legally accountable for the violence and vandalism,â Musk simply replied Saturday: âThey will be.â
Trump appointed Musk, the worldâs wealthiest man, to lead the Department of Government Efficiency in January.
The agency, which was previously known as the U.S. Digital Service, has abruptly laid off thousands of federal workers and shuttered various government programs.
The layoffs and cuts have prompted similar waves of protests in recent weeks.

People protest at the Indiana Capitol in Indianapolis as part of the national Hands Off protests Saturday.Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA Today Network via Reuters
Last weekend, [protests broke out](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/tesla-elon-musk-anti-trump-protests-rcna198708) at Tesla dealerships across the country. (Tesla is one of multiple large companies Musk owns or controls.)
Shouting matches over the cuts and Muskâs role within the executive branch have erupted at [GOP town halls](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/town-hall-protests-revive-art-bird-dogging-politicians-n724161) in recent weeks as concerns pile about the federal governmentâs stability.
Amid Muskâs controversial layoffs, the Trump administration has stepped uphigh-profile immigration raids and deportations.
Notably, the administration has [apprehended foreign students](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-immigration-authorities-detain-international-tufts-graduate-st-rcna198158) at some of the countryâs most prestigious universities and revoked student visas in an unprecedented fashion. The administration also [accidentally deported](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-trump-accidentally-sent-el-salvador-hearing-rcna199582) a Maryland man who has lived in the United States since 2011 and holds a green card to a high-security jail in El Salvador.

Demonstrators rally Saturday in Asheville, N.C.Evelyn Hockstein / Reuters
Before Saturday, opposition to Trump lacked the kind of nationwide uproar seen during the 2017 Women's March, which drew thousands to Washington after Trump's first inauguration, or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd in 2020.
Leaders of Saturday's events suggested they was just the beginning of resistance to Trump's immigration hard line and government shakeout.
"They want us to feel powerless, but we have people power, and people power is the best power," Women's March Executive Director Rachel Carmona said Saturday at the National Mall. "We canât just outnumber them. We have to outlast them, and we have to out organize them." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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