Opponents of US President Donald Trump and his adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, have joined rallies across the United States to protest against the administration’s actions to overhaul the government and expand presidential authority.
More than 1,200 “Hands Off” rallies were expected on Saturday, with organisers anticipating the largest single-day mobilisation opposing the administration’s recent initiatives.
Protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, DC, where organisers expected more than 20,000 people to attend, and locations in all 50 US states.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said the crowd voiced their discontent over the administration’s sweeping executive actions and the restructuring led by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The reforms have resulted in the elimination of more than 200,000 federal positions and significant reductions in benefits, particularly within the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration.
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“This is one of the biggest demonstrations we’ve seen since Trump began his second term, and it’s perhaps indicative of the rising frustration among Americans,” said Hanna, who also noted the diverse composition of the protesters, spanning various age groups.
“Protest organisers have been saying this is not going to lead to immediate change, but it’s an important moment to show that many Americans oppose what Donald Trump stands for,” said Hanna.
International protests
Around the world, American expatriates and local supporters assembled in cities including Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, and London.
In Paris, approximately 200 demonstrators, predominantly Americans, gathered at Place de la Republique, displaying banners with messages like “Resist Tyrant,” “Rule of Law,” and “Feminists for Freedom not Fascism.”
Timothy Kautz, a spokesperson for Democrats Abroad, emphasised the importance of global solidarity. “We have to show solidarity with all the demonstrations in a thousand cities today in the USA,” he told Reuters.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the organising groups, speaking to Reuters said, “This is an enormous demonstration that is sending a very clear message to Musk and Trump and congressional Republicans and all the goose-stepping allies of MAGA that we don’t want their hands on our democracy, on our communities, on our schools and our friends and our neighbours.”
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The White House has defended the administration’s actions.
Assistant press secretary Liz Huston stated, “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.”
Pro-Palestinian groups also participated in the Washington demonstrations, protesting against the US administration’s support for Israel’s renewed military actions in Gaza and the crackdown on campus protests.
