'Hands Off' Protests Breakout Across The Nation

Over the weekend, thousands nationwide protested against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s recently implemented policies. 

On Saturday, mass protests swept the nation against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their shared political limelight in what “Hands Off” demonstrators called a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms, per CNN. 

“The protests are incredible. It clearly shows that the American people are fed up with the proposals and policies that the Trump administration are looking to/have implemented,” said Richard Johnson, a second-year political science major on the pre-law track. 

The “Hands Off” rallies were backed by a large coalition of organizations such as civil rights groups, labor unions, climate change groups, progressive activists outfits, and left-wing groups like the Democratic Socialists of America, according to MSNBC. 

The organizers of the protest had 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,” per MSNBC. 

“I’m happy that people are protesting the things that Trump and Elon Musk are doing to this country,” said Phaedra Hyche, a third-year political science major. 

The protest turnout exceeded expectations. Over 10,000 “Hands Off” protests were planned across all 50 states with the number of RSVP’s exceeding 500,000. 

Large crowds made their presence known in many different cities, such as Manhattan, Chicago, and Atlanta. In addition to the many different cities where thousands of people took to the streets to protest, protests also took place abroad in cities including London, Paris, and Berlin. 

The messages conveyed as people marched the streets were diverse and sprawled beyond the overarching themes of the organizers. There were signs that expressed concern about free speech at a time when Trump wants to quash it, and the deportation of immigrants, as well as Trump’s global economy-destabilizing tariff regime, per MSNBC.

“I like that people are protesting the trade war/tariff-off he’s pursuing with other nations since it would be devastating for Americans, especially the middle class, the working class, and the low-income citizens,” said Johnson. 

Even though the turnout was successful, there is still some worry about whether there will be any change on the federal level. 

“I’m not sure the protests themselves will cause any change, Trump and Musk are very narrow-minded people and unless something happens with their money or assets, nothing will change,” said Amani Anderson, a second-year political science major.