Thousands of Anti-Trump Protests Held Across US

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thousands of protesters took to the streets on Saturday on Washington’s National Mall and other cities across the United States (US) to protest President Donald Trump’s policies, according to Al Arabiya and Arab News, in what were the largest demonstrations since he returned to the White House.

Anti-Trump rallies have taken place in international capitals including Paris, Rome and London.

A US coalition of 150 left-leaning groups such as MoveOn and Women’s March, civil rights organizations, unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and election activists organized “Hands Off” events in more than 1,000 cities and in every congressional district, the groups said.

Their unifying theme was growing hostility toward the so-called Indivisibles, which protesters called “the most brazen power grab in modern history,” led by Trump, his adviser Elon Musk “and their billionaire cronies.” Trump has angered many Americans by aggressively moving to shrink the federal government, impose his conservative values and sharply pressure even friendly countries over trade terms, ultimately sending the stock market into a tailspin.

“Trump, Musk and their billionaire cronies have orchestrated an all-out assault on our government, our economy and our fundamental rights – enabled by Congress at every turn,” Indivisible said on its website.

Protesters have attacked the Trump administration’s moves to lay off thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shut down the entire agency, deport immigrants, reduce protections for transgender people and cut federal funding for health care programs.

Elon Musk — a Trump adviser who owns Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X — has played a key role in the government downsizing as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk claims the downsizing has saved taxpayers billions of dollars.

Kelley Robinson, president of the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, spoke at the Washington protest, criticizing the Trump administration’s treatment of the LBGTQ+ community.

"The attacks we're seeing, they're not just political. They're personal attacks, y'all," he said.

"They're trying to ban our books, they're defunding HIV prevention, they're criminalizing our doctors, our teachers, our families, our lives. This is Donald Trump's America and I don't want it y'all. We don't want this America, y'all. We want the America we deserve, where dignity, security and freedom belong not to some of us, but to all of us."

Hundreds also demonstrated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a few miles from Trump's Jupiter golf course, where he spent the morning of the club's Senior Club Championship.

Protesters lined both sides of PGA Drive, honking cars and chanting slogans against Trump.

Archer Moran of Port St. Lucie, Florida, said, "They need to get their hands off our Social Security." "The list of things they need to get away from is long," Moran said. "And it's amazing how quickly this has escalated since he took office."

Many Democratic voters are angry that their party, which is in the minority in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, seems so powerless to counter Trump’s aggressive moves.

Saturday’s largest protest took place just blocks from the White House, on the National Mall in Washington, with prominent Democrats including Representative Jamie Raskin addressing the crowd. Separately, a March for Palestine had been scheduled in Washington around the same time.

Saturday’s demonstrations showed just how heated opposition voters feel.

The Women’s March protests shortly after Trump’s first election in 2016 drew about half a million people to Washington; early estimates for Saturday’s turnout were much smaller.

As Trump continues to aggressively shake things up in Washington and beyond, his approval ratings have fallen to their lowest levels since taking office, according to recent polls.

But despite global opposition to his sweeping tariffs, and seething resentment among many Americans, the White House has ignored the protests, and the Republican president has shown no sign of backing down.

“My policies will never change,” Trump said Friday.

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