Protesters Across the U.S. Rally Against Trump and Musk: 'Stop Destroying America'

Protesters across the U.S. came together on Saturday, April 5, for the nationwide “Hands Off!” protests, demonstrating resistance against the actions of President Donald Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) lead, Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The Trump Administration and Musk have notably spent the first few weeks of Trump’s presidency working to “reduce waste” through mass government layoffs and the termination of contracts. There has even been an attempt to dismantle the Department of Education.

Cities across the globe mobilized for their own Hands Off! protests, with various grassroots advocacy groups prioritizing concerns such as LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights, and climate activism.

One woman at the Washington D.C. rally on the National Mall was pictured holding a sign that read “Stop Destroying America.”

On the subject of the mass April 5 protests, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is quoted as telling USA TODAY in a statement: “Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years. President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers across the country who overwhelmingly re-elected him.”

TIME has reached out to the White House for comment.

According to a toolkit put together for those who wished to host their own version of the march, the purpose of the protest was to present a “massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.” The protests fall at a precarious time, as the U.S. stock market has plummeted following Trump’s latest tariffs which he announced on April 2, a day he called “Liberation Day.”

“Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services—this moment is for you,” the toolkit read. “Our goal is to show that the people—the majority—are taking action to stop the corruption and power grab.”

The demands of the protest called for an “end to the billionaire takeover” at the Trump Administration, as well as an end to the slashing of funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs, and “an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.”

In addition, protesters referenced Trump’s moves to dismantle climate action and the cutting of federal funding for certain health programs.

International protests occurred in cities including London, Paris, and Stockholm. In Berlin, protesters gathered outside the U.S. embassy, with one woman pictured holding up a sign that read: “Hands off our Social Security.” This was in reference to the ongoing concerns as to what might happen to Social Security under the Trump Administration.

In London, one person held up a sign that read “Hands off Europe.” Another sign said “Greenland is not for sale,” in reference to Trump’s interest in buying Greenland from Denmark.