Nationwide “Hands Off!” Protests: A Resounding Rejection of Trump-Musk Policies
On April 5, 2025, hundreds of thousands of Americans flooded streets, parks, and federal buildings across all 50 states in the largest coordinated protests since Donald Trump began his second term. Dubbed the "Hands Off!" movement, these demonstrations united diverse groups under a shared demand: stop the erosion of democracy, social programs, and civil liberties under Trump and his billionaire ally, Elon Musk 1 The Spark: Why Protesters Mobilized The protests targeted a sweeping agenda by the Trump administration and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has slashed over 200,000 federal jobs, dismantled agencies like the Department of Education, and proposed drastic cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid . Additional grievances included: Authoritarian Overreach: Critics decried Trump’s expansion of executive power, including ignoring court orders on immigration and tariffs that triggered a stock market crash Attacks on Marginalized Communities: LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant […]