Rally against Trump policies draws hundreds of protesters to Hart Plaza

Detroit — Several hundred demonstrators gathered at Hart Plaza Saturday, while their Canadian counterparts assembled across the Detroit River to protest multiple actions taken by President Donald Trump during the first three months of his administration.

Tariffs, deportations, transgender issues, cuts to the Department of Education and reductions by the new Department of Government Efficiency were among the topics covered during the rally, which was organized by the group We the People Dissent.

"We need to send a message that our country isn't run by a king," said Brian Sawa of Grand Blanc, who carried a sign that said "Trump Hates Pierogi," a phrase that gained popularity during Trump's first successful presidential campaign in 2016.

"Our rights are being taken away as we speak," Sawa said. "I'm also here to support Canada. The president has shown them no respect."

Several people at the rally waved small Canadian flags that were passed out to the crowd, while others carried handmade signs bearing messages that included "Stand with Ukraine," "Impeach Putin's Puppet" and "Defend Public Education."

The Michigan Republican Party didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

But Republican former State Rep. Chuck Moss of Birmingham dismissed the demonstrators.

"These are just the same old tired leftist hacks that protest everything. They're out here trying to preserve a corrupt Chicago-style machine gone Federal, and their barely concealed threats of violence betray their intellectual and moral bankruptcy," Moss said Saturday.

"Out in the streets to reverse an election with mob action? Who are the insurrectionists now?"

Trump has vowed to levy 25% tariffs on vehicles and parts from Canada and Mexico April 2. One reason he has given for the tariffs on a variety of Mexican and Canadian goods is Mexico's and Canada's purported failures to block fentanyl smuggling.

Trump has said he wants to impose the tariffs on the two neighboring countries as well as reciprocal tariffs on goods from around the world to address trade deficits in which the United States imports more from countries than it exports.

Such actions, some experts have warned, could cost the auto industry billions of dollars, jeopardize production and cripple supply chains, although Trump and his appointees have said the initiative will result in more manufacturing jobs because it will be less costly to make goods in the United States than to import them and pay the high tariffs.

In early March, the president granted a delay on the 25% tariffs on vehicles and components from Canada and Mexico that are in compliance with the trade agreement the United States has with those two countries that Trump signed into law in 2020. Some auto industry executives are hoping Trump agrees near or on April to have U.S. trade representatives renegotiate the USMCA instead of imposing tariffs.

Trump has also repeatedly said Canada should become the 51st state, and referred to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "Governor."

Cuts being made or contemplated by Trump appointee Elon Musk at DOGE prompted outrage among many in the crowd Saturday. Trump and Musk said they've identified billions of dollars in waste or fraud, although critics said the administration is cutting needed programs and have complained, as one sign in Saturday's crowd said, that "We Didn't Vote for Musk."

Paige Miller of Grosse Ile clutched a small Canadian flag, while her 12-year-old Australian Shepherd dog Dodger wore a canine coat bearing the message "Bad Doge-y."

"I'm really concerned about the future of our country for our grandchildren," Miller said.

DOGE also was the focus of Flint resident Elizabeth Jordan's ire.

"We have to save our country while we still have one," said Jordan, who carried a sign proclaiming "No DOGE Coup."

"Our country is based on checks and balances, and the separation of powers, and that's hanging by a thread right now," Jordan said.

Trump has enlisted Musk to downsize the federal bureaucracy through DOGE while the government faces a projected deficit of $1.9 trillion for 2025 and an accumulated debt of about $36 trillion or about $107,000 for every U.S. citizen.

Several people addressed the crowd using a bullhorn, including Nathan Mazur of Dearborn, whose words were punctuated by a woman banging a drumstick on an upside-down pickle bucket bearing a sticker that said, "Stop Pretending Your Racism is Patriotism."

"When one of us is under attack, we're all under attack — and nowhere is that attack more defined than the Republican Party's treatment of women, who they think of as baby incubators whose job is to cook and clean," Mazur said. "If they think that's correct, then they haven't met my wife."

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