Anti-Trump protests: Angry protesters rallied against US President Donald Trump and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, on Saturday in several American cities. Crowds of people gathered to protest against the way Trump is running the country. The protesters, dubbed 'Hands Off' demonstrators, were organised in more than 1,200 locations across all 50 US states by more than 150 groups, which included civil rights organisations, labour unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The rallies remained peaceful with no reports of arrests so far.
Protesters gathered from Midtown Manhattan to Anchorage, Alaska, including at multiple state capitols as they criticised Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights.
One of the protesters, Roger Broom, 66, a retiree from Delaware County, Ohio, said he used to be a Reagan Republican but has been turned off by Trump. He said, "He's (Trump) tearing this country apart,” Broom said.
“It's just an administration of grievances.”
On the West Coast, protesters held signs with slogans like “Fight the oligarchy.” Protesters took to the streets in American cities, including Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, where they marched from Pershing Square to City Hall.
Demonstrations were mainly aimed at opposing the Trump administration's decision to fire federal workers, shutter entire agencies, scale back protections for transgender people, cut health funding, close Social Security Administration field offices, among others.
The White House, in its response to the protests, said, "President Trump's position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries."
The statement took a direct jab at Democrats, as it stated, "Meanwhile, the Democrats' stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors."
The White House said that the president golfed in Florida on Saturday and planned to do so again on Sunday.
During the first term, Trump faced countrywide protests with the Women's March in 2017, which brought thousands of women to Washington. Black Lives Matter demonstrations, following George Floyd's killing by police in Minneapolis in 2020, are also among the prominent opposition that Trump faced in his first term.