On Saturday, April 5, nationwide ‘Hands off’ protests were held across the 50 states in response to Trump’s administration policies and the public’s dislike of Elon Musk’s influence upon these policies. This protest was organized by a coalition of over 150 progressive labor unions, pro-democracy, civil rights, LGBTQ+, and women’s rights groups.
Many of the issues that this protest was meant to combat included: government restructuring and job cuts, social service funding cuts, economic policies and tariffs, and civil rights concerns.
The slogan for this protest is “50 states, 50 protests, one movement,” considered the 50501 movement to signify the importance of coming together against one common goal. This protest was considered the largest day of public demonstration in resistance, with more than 11 million people, 3.5 percent of the U.S. population.
Organizers state that this movement grew from the concern over Trump’s administration’s antidemocratic and illegal actions. Many of these protests were held at State capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security headquarters, and throughout city halls.
Organizers stated 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.”
Many people showed up with posters with various statements on them, such as “Left of right we all see wrong”, Hands off our civil rights”, “Dump Trump resist fascism”, “Democrats fight back defend our democracy”, “So bad even introverts are here”, “Make America merciful again” and many more powerful messages.
There is expected to be another protest on April 19th, which coincides with the 250 anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which ignited the American Revolution. This date has been chosen to honor the nation’s founding principles and to contest actions made by our current administration.
The April 5 protest is considered to be the beginning of a mass spread message towards a common goal.
These protests have come at a politically charged moment of the public’s outrage towards Trump’s administration and the latest policies that have earned a large amount of disapproval due to the impact on the economy and the expected impact on the average citizen.
The movement website of the protest states, “This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history.” The ‘Hands off’ movement has inspired many people to speak out against the Trump administration and unite across all 50 states with one united message.
Demonstrators have called Trump’s administration and Elon Musk’s agendas a “hostile takeover” and an attack on American rights and freedom.
The whole movement of ‘Hands off’ came from the ‘Hands off’ doctrine that stated “the federal government had no legal standing to interfere in the operations of state institutions,” which originated in the 1960s.
There have been multiple movements in response to the actions taken by Trump and his administration.