‘Hands Off’: Protesters deliver a sweeping message to Trump and Musk at a DC rally
Surrounding the Washington Monument Saturday were thousands of signs with messages spanning innumerable topics. aSupport Ukraine,a aBeware of DOGE,a aProtect Trans Lives,a were just a few of them. Others struck a note of exasperation: aWhere do I startaa
The nationwide Hands Off protests this weekend turned out millions of protesters across 1,300 different events, organizers estimate, motivated by a wide array of causes but two people: President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. In the signs they brought to the DC rally, some protesters focused on a single issue. Others tried to fit as many as they could. The throughline was a message to the US government: protect democracy, and stop messing with programs and agencies that matter.
The crowd in Washington, DC a more than 100,000, per organizersa estimates a was peaceful and orderly. On a stage behind the Washington Monument, lawmakers like Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and organizers including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler spoke. Attendees around them quietly listened, save for the occasional call-and-response chant, cheers, or boos for the Trump administration. Farther away, a gr …