Large crowds of people angry about the way President Donald Trump is running the country marched and rallied in South Florida and scores of American cities Saturday in the biggest day of demonstrations yet by an opposition movement trying to regain its momentum after the shock of the Republican’s first weeks in office.
So-called Hands Off! demonstrations were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The rallies appeared peaceful, with no immediate reports of arrests.
Demonstrators voiced anger over the administration's moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut funding for health programs.
READ MORE: Protesters plan marches, rallies targeting President Donald Trump, Elon Musk in South Florida
Musk, a Trump adviser who owns Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in the downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
In South Florida:
In Palm Beach Gardens, hundreds of people demonstrated just a few miles from Trump's golf course in Jupiter, where he spent the morning at the club's Senior Club Championship. People lined both sides of PGA Drive, encouraging cars to honk and chanting slogans against Trump.
“They need to keep their hands off of our Social Security,” said Archer Moran of Port St. Lucie, Florida.
“The list of what they need to keep their hands off of is too long,” Moran said. “And it's amazing how soon these protests are happening since he’s taken office.”
The president planned to go golfing again Sunday, according to the White House.
Asked about the protests, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
In downtown Miami, at the Torch of Friendship, United Teachers of Dade rallied unions, organizations, and others, denouncing the “Trump/Musk Administration.”
“It’s time to be blunt. Trump and Elon’s thoughtless chaos is directly harming all Americans. From school children with special needs to every single person who has a retirement account or 401k.” said Karla Hernandez-Mats, President of the United Teachers of Dade, in a statement.
“Watching a handful of billionaires intentionally crash our nation's economy over the past 48 hours should be jarring enough to make Congress do their job. We must tell our members of Congress to step up, intervene and do your job to protect the American people."
In Hollywood, local Hands Off! Organizers marched down Hollywood Boulevard, with one group of demonstrators carrying a casket, inside of which lay “Lady Liberty,” the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
“I hope it sends a message to the representatives of our state that speak for us that we want the administration to listen to the American people,” Holly Litt told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Todd Katzman, 57, said he went to the protest in Hollywood because he worries the Trump administration’s is trying to to marginalize LGBTQ communities, immigrants and other people.
“I can’t sit home any longer,” Katzman told the Miami Herald.
WLRN News Staff contributed to this story.
