Anti-Trump Protests Rally Across US under Slogan "Hands Off"

Nearly 1,200 demonstrations took place across the United States on Saturday, in what organizers predicted would be the largest day of protest against President Donald Trump and  billionaire Elon Musk since they launched a rapid campaign to reform government and expand presidential powers.

Thousands of people flocked to downtown Washington, D.C., as the protests began amid overcast skies and light rain. Organizers told Reuters that more than 20,000 people were expected to participate in the protest on the National Mall.

The protests give Trump's opponents an opportunity to collectively express their dissatisfaction with the changes he is implementing through his executive orders.

The event's website shows that approximately 150 activist groups have decided to participate. Protests are planned in all 50 US states, as well as Canada and Mexico.

Protesters lined up on a busy Connecticut Avenue in Washington, D.C., waiting for buses to take them downtown. They held signs with slogans such as "No Kings in the USA" and "Fire Musk."

With Trump's support, Elon Musk's Government Efficiency Taskforce has conducted an audit of the U.S. government, eliminating more than 200,000 of the federal government's 2.3 million jobs.

On Friday, the Internal Revenue Service began laying off more than 20,000 employees, up to 25% of the workforce.

Hundreds of people gathered Saturday outside the Social Security Administration headquarters, a key target of the GEO, near Baltimore to protest cuts targeting the agency that provides benefits to the elderly and people with disabilities.

A mood of anger and defiance has spread after the agency recently announced it would lay off 7,000 employees and cut phone service for millions.

Members of the GEO have worked inside the building for weeks. Many of the protesters, most of them retirees, carried signs with slogans such as "Where did my country go?" "Send Musk to Mars," and "Hands off Social Security!"

Liz Houston, the White House's deputy press secretary, denied the protesters' accusations that Trump seeks to cut Social Security and Medicaid.

She said in an email, "President Trump's position is clear: He will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for those who qualify. Meanwhile, the Democrats' position is to give Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants, which will bankrupt these programs and crush older Americans."

Lawsuits have restricted much of Trump's agenda, accusing him of overstepping his authority by attempting to fire government employees and deport immigrants.

Trump returned to the White House on January 20 to issue a series of executive orders and other measures seen by some as aligned with his Project 2025 agenda, a deeply conservative political initiative to reshape the government and consolidate presidential power.

Hours before the "Hands Up!" protests were scheduled to begin in the United States, hundreds of anti-Trump Americans living in Europe gathered in Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, and London to voice their opposition to his sweeping changes to U.S. foreign and domestic policies.

About 200 people, mostly Americans, gathered at the Place de la République in Paris, listening to speeches and waving signs bearing slogans such as "Resist the Tyrant," "Rule of Law," "Feminists for Freedom, Not Fascism," and "Save Democracy."