We went to anti-Trump manifestations. Here is what surprised us the most.

Last week, national demonstrations targeted Elon Musk for his role in the dismantling of government agencies and the dismissal of federal workers through the White House office.

This week, they are targeting the man who gave him this role: President Donald Trump.

In coordinated demonstrations which, according to the organizers, took place in the 50 states, “Hands Off!” The protest accused Trump and his administration of defending policies that benefit the rich while making everyone life to everyone.

Business Insider sent journalists to demonstrations in different parts of the country to hear them directly. Many said they were most worried about the economy and their retirement investments, which decreased in tandem with Trump’s pricing announcements. The crowd also biased older compared to the demonstrations during Trump’s first term.

Here is what they told us and what surprised us the most.

new York

While I was showing Brooklyn train to Midtown Manhattan, the metro car filled with demonstrators, their cardboard signs in the umbrellas on a rainy Saturday in New York.

At 1 p.m., the 42nd street station was even more crowded than usual. The elderly tighten the slippery rods and young children shake their parents’ hands. A man wore a Harris Walz camo hat formerly trendy. Another agitated a small American flag, an unusual demonstration of patriotism during anti-top gatherings.

The wet horde of the demonstrators hunted towards Bryant Park, and in some respects, everything seemed familiar. There were songs on abortion, panels featuring the face of the disappointing Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a progressive icon and a regular cacophony of car horns.

But some things were different this time.

On the one hand, the crowd looked older, the middle ages of an average age seeming to be more numerous than the 20 years who dominated the rallies during the pandemic. This makes sense, because many Americans look at their retirement savings decrease in the face of the markets that crash and fear that the staff of the Social Security Administration Cup could have an impact on the crucial safety net.

While the antigan demonstrations held during Trump’s first mandate focused on social issues – such as abortion and civil rights issues – many signs have targeted the economy today.

Most people I spoke did not want to share their family names because they were worried about their privacy in the current political environment. However, they were not shy for their rage and their despair.

Dorothy Auer, 62, told me that she wanted people to become more angry.

“I have been working for over 40 years and I watched my investments yesterday – my retirement plan – and I literally don’t think that I can never retire,” she said, starting to choke.

By wiping his eyes with his free hand – the other held a black and white panel striking Musk – Auer told me that it was painful to see a man of such wealth “turn around and go to us”.

Jian, 33, held a sign that said: “The prices kill my 401 (K)”, but he told me that he was the most upset by what happens to his father.

“My father has lost about 25% of his savings in the past three days because of the prices,” he said.

It is not only the economy, of course, which brought thousands of people to Midtown Manhattan.

Penny, 54, said that Trump administration had affected almost all the problems that are cared for. Even so, we ended up talking about musk.

“I am horrified that a person who was not born here has not been elected, seems that Carte Blanche does what he wants in our government,” she said. “How did he get a security authorization?”

Most of those I spoke to because they slowly struck with Madison Square Park did not think that the manifestation would change Trump’s mind.

Some said they hoped that the congress would be careful, but more than that, people said they felt that they needed to do something.

“Even if it’s a bit hopeless at the moment, at least it shows people that we are here,” said Pyare, 49 years old. “And that we don’t like that.”

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Novi, Michigan

Another week, another demonstration.

Saturday, I attended the hands! Rally in Novi, Michigan, a suburbs of Strait where 55% of the votes went to Kamala Harris in the elections. Thousands of people arose.

The crowd was emotionally loaded and united by the spirit of collective action. Many participants said they were demonstrators for the first time. Tesla’s demonstrations to the withdrawal to which I attended last weekend seemed dark in comparison. The demonstrators here have become noisy.

“Call me the old lady who fights for democracy,” said a 66-year-old woman, who did not want to give her real name. She held a sign she had made. It was a charcoal drawing of the statue of freedom, whose hands covered the eyes of shame.

“I just copied this on Facebook,” she said. But for her, it symbolized “all that our country represents is destroyed, and the world looks at us”.

Liana Gettel, 58, said that she was indigenous for several reasons, including the position of the administration on abortion. She said she had an abortion 29 years ago.

“I had lost a child. The child would not leave alone. So I had to have a procedure. If I had not had this procedure, I would not be here,” she said. “And is that what they want to block, is it things like that?”

The demonstrators have targeted many different questions, including abortion, trans and minority rights. A protester holding a panel for trans rights said: “Trans people are just the aperitif, but everyone will be on the menu now.”

The line echoes the remarks made by the human rights defender Channyn Lynne Parker during the gathering for trans visibility in Chicago last weekend.

Unlike demonstrations during Trump’s first term, which focused on social issues, however, many people today were also concerned about the president’s economic policies.

Matt Watts said he is protesting against social security control by Musk and Trump’s prices on “countries that don’t deserve it”. After the stock market started to take a blow of all the speeches on the prices, Watts said that he had withdrawn his money from his 401 (K) and had invested it in a more stable fund. “I am preparing to retire very soon. I have to count on these savings,” he said.

The majority of demonstrators were average or older, but they managed to capture certain younger activists with their energy.

Yajat Verma, 18, said that he had not known the demonstration, but passed with a friend when he saw the crowd. He decided to join us and started distributing bottles of water to demonstrators.

“Everyone should protest,” he said.