Thousands of protesters gathered in Washington, D.C., and across the U.S. on Saturday, part of some 1,200 demonstrations that were expected to form the largest single day of protest against President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk since they launched a rapid-fire effort to overhaul government and expand presidential authority.
People streamed onto the expanse of grass surrounding the Washington Monument under gloomy skies and light rain.
Some 150 activist groups had signed up to participate, according to the event’s website. Protests were planned in all 50 states plus Canada and Mexico.
Trump, who shook financial markets and upset nations around the world with a raft of trade tariffs this week, spent the day in Florida, playing a round of golf at his club in Jupiter before returning to his Mar-a-Lago compound in the afternoon.
Some four miles (6 km) from Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, more than 400 demonstrators gathered on a sunny day in protest. Drivers honked their horns in support of the pastel-and khaki-clad demonstrators as they passed by.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people protested in European cities on Saturday against U.S. President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk, following a bruising week for financial markets after Trump unveiled sweeping global tariffs.
In the German city of Frankfurt, the “Hands Off!” demonstration was organized by Democrats Abroad, the official organization of the Democratic Party for U.S. citizens living overseas.
In Berlin, protesting in front of a Tesla showroom, demonstrators held placards calling on fellow Americans living in Germany to protest for “an end to the chaos” at home.
In the British capital, a few hundred people gathered in Trafalgar Square, holding signs saying “Proud American Ashamed” and “WTAF America?” The crowd chanted “Hands off Canada”, “Hands off Greenland” and “Hands off Ukraine” while listening to speeches criticising Trump.
