‘Hands off!’: Tens of thousands march throughout US against Trump ‘devastation’

Tens of thousands of protesters flood the streets of major US cities to oppose the divisive policies of President Donald Trump, in the largest demonstrations since his return to the White House.

Opponents of the Republican president’s policies — from government staffing cuts to trade tariffs and eroding civil liberties — rally in Washington, New York, Houston, Florida, Colorado and Los Angeles, among other locations.

So-called Hands Off! demonstrations are organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 US states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The rallies appear peaceful, with no immediate reports of arrests.

Protesters assail Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights. On the West Coast, in the shadow of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, protesters hold signs with slogans like “Fight the oligarchy.”

Demonstrators voice anger over the administration’s moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut funding for health programs.

Musk, a Trump adviser who runs Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in the downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.

Asked about the protests, the White House says in a statement that “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.”