‘Hands Off’: Protesters deliver a sweeping message to Trump and Musk at a DC rally

Surrounding the Washington Monument Saturday were thousands of signs with messages spanning innumerable topics. “Support Ukraine,” “Beware of DOGE,” “Protect Trans Lives,” were just a few of them. Others struck a note of exasperation: “Where do I start…”

The nationwide Hands Off protests this weekend turned out millions of protesters across 1,300 different events, organizers estimate, motivated by a wide array of causes but two people: President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. In the signs they brought to the DC rally, some protesters focused on a single issue. Others tried to fit as many as they could. The throughline was a message to the US government: protect democracy, and stop messing with programs and agencies that matter.

The crowd in Washington, DC — more than 100,000, per organizers’ estimates — was peaceful and orderly. On a stage behind the Washington Monument, lawmakers like Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and organizers including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler spoke. Attendees around them quietly listened, save for the occasional call-and-response chant, cheers, or boos for the Trump administration. Farther away, a gr …

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