Protesters filled the streets in multiple U.S. cities to express their disapproval of President Trump, marking the most significant national demonstration against him since his inauguration in January.
Organizers of the “Hands Off” protests planned events in 1,200 locations nationwide, drawing large crowds in major cities like Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC on Saturday.
The demonstrators voiced a range of complaints against Trump’s policies, covering both social and economic issues.
The protests occurred shortly after Trump announced new import tariffs affecting numerous countries worldwide, prompting related protests in international cities including London, Paris, and Berlin.
In Boston, recent immigration raids at U.S. universities, resulting in student arrests and deportations, spurred some to protest.
Katie Smith, a law student, spoke to BBC News about the arrest of Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk near Tufts University by U.S. agents, which was captured on video last month.
“You can stand up today or you can be taken later,” she said, adding, “I’m not usually a protest girlie.”
In London, protesters displayed signs with phrases like “WTAF America?”, “Stop hurting people,” and “He’s an idiot.”
They also chanted slogans such as “hands off Canada,” “hands off Greenland,” and “hands off Ukraine,” in response to Trump’s foreign policy maneuvers. Trump has shown interest in annexing Canada and Greenland.
Additionally, Trump’s contentious interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his struggles to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia were noted.
In Washington DC, thousands watched speeches from Democratic lawmakers focusing on the influence of wealthy donors in Trump’s administration, notably Elon Musk, who has advised the president and pushed for significant federal spending cuts.
Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost criticized the “billionaire takeover of our government,” proclaiming, “When you steal from the people, expect the people to rise up. At the ballot box and in the streets.”
The protests followed a tough week for Trump and his allies, marked by a Republican win in a Florida congressional election by narrower margins than expected and a Democratic victory in the Wisconsin state supreme court election, defeating a Musk-supported candidate by nearly 10 percentage points.
Democrats in both states capitalized on the discontent with Trump’s policies and Musk’s influence.
Recent polls indicate a slight decline in Trump’s approval ratings.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll earlier this week showed Trump’s approval at 43%, down from 47% at the start of his second term.
This poll also recorded a 37% approval rate for his economic management and 30% for his handling of living costs.
However, a Harvard Caps/Harris poll showed that 49% of registered voters approve of Trump’s performance, a slight decrease from last month, but 54% believe he is performing better than Joe Biden did.
Trump did not hold public events on Saturday and spent the day at his Florida golf resort. He planned to golf again on Sunday.
The White House defended Trump’s policies, asserting his commitment to protecting programs like Medicare and criticizing Democrats for endangering these programs by extending benefits to undocumented immigrants.
Tom Homan, one of Trump’s top immigration advisors, mentioned that while protesters rallied outside his New York residence, he was in Washington.
“They can protest a vacant house all they want,” Homan remarked, commenting that it diverted law enforcement from more critical tasks.
“Protests and rallies don’t mean anything,” he added.
“So go ahead and exercise your first amendment [free speech] rights. It’s not going to change the facts of the case.”
