Over 1,400 protests against President Donald Trump. Elon Musk, and the Trump administration policies happened today across all 50 states, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms. The “Hands Off!” mass-action protests are taking place at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, parks and city halls throughout the entire country

There have been protests in Washington, D.C, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and other cities nationwide. Protesters are holding signs with slogans such as “Fight Oligarchy,” “Unity over division” and “Hands off our jobs.” Demonstrations also took place in many European cities, including Paris, Berlin, London, and Lisbon.

What They Are Protesting

The organizers of the “Hands Off” protests describe their movement as:

This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way. On April 5th, we’re taking to the streets to say Hands Off. Use this toolkit to spread the word, fire up your networks, and make sure everyone knows: we don’t have kings in America, and we won’t let a handful of billionaires run our country into the ground.

600,00 signed up to attend the events, across the U.S. and all over the world, according to Indivisible, one of the organizations leading the movement that consists of a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, seniors, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates.

The organizations say they have three demands: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”

Elected Officials and Others Speak Out

The “Hands Off” events brought out many national, state, and local elected officials to protest the deep cuts that the Trump/Musk team have used to decimate federal and state agencies. Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar said this at the Washington protest.

“If you want a country that still believes in due process, we have to fight for it. If you believe in a country where we take care of our neighbors, look after the poor and make sure our children have a future they can believe in, we have to fight for it.”

At a rally in Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu said she does not want her children or anyone to live in a world in which threats and intimidation are government tactics and values like diversity and equality are constantly under attack.

“I refuse to accept that they could grow up in a world where immigrants like their grandma and grandpa are automatically presumed to be criminals.”

Also speaking out were labor leaders, nonprofit executives and concerned citizens. At the Denver event, Brian Loma, 49, an environmental organizer and others noticed a smaller Latino presence at Saturday’s rally.

You notice there’s not a lot of Chicano people out here? It’s because people are scared. The government seems to be ripping up green cards. It’s crazy.”

American Federation of Government Employees President Everett B. Kelley boldly told the crowd in Washington.

“We will not be silenced. We will not bow down. We’ll stand up and say hands off our union. We’ll stand up and say hands off our contract. We’ll stand up and say hands off our democracy, hands off our freedom.”

What’s Next for the Movement

The plan moving forward for Indivisible and the other organizations involved in the movement is to pick strategic fights to drive a national backlash against Project 2025 and as an extension, the policies of the Trump administration. They seek to play hardball with the “MAGA” movement and propel Democrats to electoral wins in the 2026 midterms.

The coalition envisions even a larger role for blue state politicians as a pushback against the GOP trifecta of control in Washington. Many Democratic governors and state attorneys have already embraced this cauldron strategy.