Mass rallies across the US signal rising public anger over authoritarian policies and billionaire overreach.
OPPONENTS OF US President Donald Trump and his adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, staged rallies across the United States over the weekend to protest against the administration’s actions to overhaul the government and expand presidential authority. Reportedly, more than 1,200 “Hands Off” rallies were held on April 5, with organisers anticipating the largest single-day mobilisation opposing the administration’s recent initiatives.
Tens of thousands of anti-Trump demonstrators gathered in cities around the globe on Saturday, April 5, as the impact of tariffs and cuts to government agencies galvanised the first big wave of protest against the Trump 2.0 administration.
The rallies came days after Donald Trump upended the global economy by using rarely invoked emergency powers to unleash tariff hikes on almost every country in the world, wiping out trillions of dollars in market value.
Those who attended the protests cited a list of administration policies — from aggressive trade levies, lay-offs across the federal workforce, deportations of legal immigrants, and attacks on the transgender community to threats to invade Greenland — as well as the controversial actions of Trump’s ally and adviser, Elon Musk, and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Protesters also gathered in European cities including London, Lisbon, and Paris, and demonstrated in front of a Tesla showroom in Berlin. The electric-vehicle maker has become a focus of protests against its billionaire chief executive, with multiple attacks reported on vehicles and dealerships across the US.
Protesters on the National Mall in Washington — the largest gathering — held placards with slogans including “Penguins Against Tariffs,” “Send Musk to Mars,” and “Make My 401k Great Again.”
According to the Financial Times, the ‘Hands Off!’ movement, which organised protests in more than 1,400 cities and towns across the US, is backed by advocacy groups focused on everything from abortion rights to climate change.
It has sought to reach Americans across the political spectrum, placing particular emphasis on economic issues, including tariffs, the plunging stock market, and feared changes to Social Security.
“This mass mobilisation day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy,” read one digital flyer for the rally in Washington.
Organisers and Democrats have seized on Musk’s unpopularity to energise protesters and voters. On Tuesday (April 1), his preferred candidate, Brad Schimel, was trounced in a Supreme Court race in Wisconsin that was widely seen as a referendum on the controversial billionaire.
The Washington Post reported that people gathered in response to what they see as the administration’s overreach on a variety of issues: NATO, schools, libraries, courts, veteran services, fair elections, and, organisers said, “our jobs, our wallets, our bodies.”
The protests on Saturday marked the first large-scale demonstrations against the administration since Trump began his second term in January. The president’s return to power has so far been greeted by a muted and largely disorganised response from America’s left, in contrast to the mass unrest — including the Women’s March — that greeted his first presidency.
The April 5 event in Boston was part of a nationwide day of action, with “Hands Off” anti-Trump protests planned across the country. In a statement, organisers said Saturday was a “peaceful mass activation in defiance of the Trump-Musk billionaire takeover and the Republican assault on our freedoms and our communities. This is an all-in moment for the pro-worker movement, pro-constitutional rule of law, and pro-democracy,” organisers said.
In Paris, approximately 200 demonstrators, predominantly Americans, gathered at Place de la République, displaying banners with messages like “Resist Tyrant,” “Rule of Law,” and “Feminists for Freedom, Not Fascism.”
Timothy Kautz, a spokesperson for Democrats Abroad, emphasised the importance of global solidarity. “We have to show solidarity with all the demonstrations in a thousand cities today in the USA,” he told Reuters.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the organising groups, told Reuters, “This is an enormous demonstration that is sending a very clear message to Musk and Trump and congressional Republicans and all the goose-stepping allies of MAGA that we don’t want their hands on our democracy, on our communities, on our schools, on our friends, and on our neighbours.”
While the rallies remained peaceful and upbeat, the mood was one of simmering anger. Several protesters wore symbolic costumes, including outfits from The Handmaid’s Tale, to highlight fears over reproductive rights. Others chanted slogans denouncing authoritarianism, with one sign in Denver reading, “No King for USA.”
The White House, meanwhile, dismissed the protests in a statement, saying: “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving these benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
Despite slipping approval ratings and mounting public pushback, Trump appears undeterred. “My policies will never change,” he said on Friday (April 4).
Britt Jacovich, a spokesperson for the liberal group MoveOn.org — one of the organisers — said people not only want Trump to get his “hands off” abortion rights and civil rights, they want his hands off Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the federal workforce, the value of their 401(k)s, the broader US economy, and much more.
Meanwhile, according to CNN, the tech billionaire Musk said he hopes for a “zero-tariff situation” between Europe and the United States — just days after Trump announced sweeping tariffs, including a 20% levy on goods from the European Union.
Earlier, after Trump’s return as the American president, doubts were raised about the real condition of American democracy — an issue on which former president Joe Biden held several summits, focusing on defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and advancing respect for human rights. Yet the recent anti-Trump demonstrations have proved that the American public can’t be befooled for long.
One only wishes the same were true for our own country, where it remains to be seen when the public will awaken to the true calling of democratic principles and see through the web of false and unprincipled narratives being bandied about on every issue once held dear. Woh subah kabhi to aayegi! 
————
Also Read
Tariffs, Trouble & Godi Media’s Smokescreen
Asad Mirza
The author is a New Delhi-based senior commentator on national and international affairs, defence and strategic issues, and environmental concerns. He is also an interfaith practitioner and a media consultant. Previously, he was associated with the BBC Urdu Service and the Khaleej Times in Dubai.
Disclaimer : PunjabTodayNews.com and other platforms of the Punjab Today group strive to include views and opinions from across the entire spectrum, but by no means do we agree with everything we publish. Our efforts and editorial choices consistently underscore our authors’ right to the freedom of speech. However, it should be clear to all readers that individual authors are responsible for the information, ideas or opinions in their articles, and very often, these do not reflect the views of PunjabTodayNews.com or other platforms of the group. Punjab Today does not assume any responsibility or liability for the views of authors whose work appears here.
Punjab Today believes in serious, engaging, narrative journalism at a time when mainstream media houses seem to have given up on long-form writing and news television has blurred or altogether erased the lines between news and slapstick entertainment. We at Punjab Today believe that readers such as yourself appreciate cerebral journalism, and would like you to hold us against the best international industry standards. Brickbats are welcome even more than bouquets, though an occasional pat on the back is always encouraging. Good journalism can be a lifeline in these uncertain times worldwide. You can support us in myriad ways. To begin with, by spreading word about us and forwarding this reportage. Stay engaged.
— Team PT