The demonstrators reveal themselves against Trump and Musk in “Hands Off!” Rallies in the United States-San Diego Union-Tribune

By Dave Collins

Opponents of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk gathered through the United States on Saturday to protest against administration’s actions on reducing government, economics, human rights and other issues.

Over 1,200 “Hands-Off!” Demonstrations have been planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, unions, LBGTQ +defenders, veterans and elections activists. Protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, DC, state capitols and other locations in the 50 states.

The demonstrators assailed the measures of the Trump administration to dismiss thousands of federal workers, close to the offices in the field of social security administration, to effectively close entire agencies, to expel immigrants, to evolve protections against transgender persons and to reduce federal funding for health programs.

Musk, a Trump advisor who owns Tesla, SpaceX and the X social media platform, played a key role in reducing government staff as head of the newly created government ministry. He says he saves taxpayers from billions of dollars.

Speaking during the Washington demonstration, Paul Ossadebe, lawyer for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and a union intendant, criticized Trump, Musk and other members of the administration not to value the work that federal employees do to create “a basis of reference security and power for workers”.

“The billionaires and the oligarchs appreciate nothing other than profit and power, and they do not appreciate you, you or your life or your community,” he said. “And we see that they do not care who they have to destroy or who they have to hurt to get what they want.”

In the Massachusetts, thousands of people gathered on common Boston panels, in particular “Hands Off Off Our Democracy”, “Hands Off Our Social Security” and “Inclusion by shares of diversity makes America strong. In Ohio, hundreds have rallied in rainy conditions in the state of Columbus.

Roger Broom, 66, a retiree from the county of Delaware, Ohio, said at the Columbus rally that he was a republican Reagan but had been deactivated by Trump.

“He tears this country,” said Broom. “It’s just an administration of grievances.”

Hundreds of people also demonstrated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a few kilometers from Trump’s golf course in Jupiter, where he spent the morning at the club’s senior club championship. People bordered the two sides of PGA Drive, encouraging cars to klaxon and sing slogans against Trump.

Archer Moran from Port St. Lucie, Florida, said: “They must keep their hands out of our social security.”

“The list of what they need to keep their hands is too long,” said Moran. “And it is incredible how long these protests have occurred since it was taken in office.”

The president plans to resume golf course on Sunday, according to the White House.

Asked about the demonstrations, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect social security, health insurance and medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the position of the Democrats gives social security, Medicaid and Medicare advantages to illegal foreigners, which will go bankrupt these programs and crush the American senarious people. “

Activists have organized demonstrations several times against Trump or Musk since Trump returned to functions. But the opposition movement has not yet produced mass mobilization such as women’s march in 2017, which brought thousands of women to Washington, DC, after the first inauguration of Trump, or the Matter Black Lives demonstrations that broke out in several cities after the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

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The writers of the Associated Press Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, and Fatima Hussein in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.

Originally published: April 4, 2025 at 9:14 p.m.