[By Guancha Observer Network, Liu Chenghui] Expelling immigrants, large-scale layoffs, comprehensive tariff hikes, and cutting government spending... Since taking office, the Trump administration has thrown a series of domestic and foreign policies, causing unprecedented turmoil. On April 5 local time, anti-Trump protest waves with the slogan "Hands Off!" swept dozens of cities in all 50 states from the East Coast to the West Coast, opposing government spending cuts, immigration crackdowns, tariffs, and other policies. It is estimated that more than 600,000 people have registered to participate in over 1,200 protest activities nationwide. This is also the largest single-day protest activity that Trump has encountered since he took office at the beginning of this year.
Protest activities held on April 5 in Manhattan, New York. The New York Times
According to reports from multiple U.S. media outlets including the Associated Press (AP) and The New York Times, this round of protests was organized by over 150 groups across all 50 states. These groups include civil rights organizations, unions, LGBTQ+ rights advocates, veterans, and election activists. Organizers said that Trump has made life harder for ordinary Americans while benefiting his wealthiest friends, and people hope that the Trump administration will focus its governance on issues related to public welfare such as healthcare and social security. There are currently no reports of arrests.
Although it is difficult to estimate crowd sizes, organizers stated that over 600,000 people have registered for the protest activities. Protesters oppose the Trump administration's alliance with billionaires, pushing for significant government downsizing, leading to tens of thousands of civil servants losing their jobs and weakening social welfare services. They also strongly oppose the administration's policies regarding immigrant rights and transgender rights. Additionally, demonstrators criticized the Trump administration's tariff policies, which continue to be enforced despite economic downturns, further destabilizing the stock market and societal unrest.
However, some Trump supporters believe that his policies are necessary because the U.S. government has long been dominated by progressives, resulting in waste and inefficiency. Trump's bold actions can break this pattern and restore "traditional American values."
In Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, the protest procession extended nearly 20 blocks; in Seattle, protesters carried signs reading "Oppose Oligarchy" and expressed their dissatisfaction with Trump; in Chicago, thousands of people flooded Daley Plaza and adjacent streets; in Atlanta, police estimated that over 20,000 people participated in the march to the state capitol building.
The National Mall in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States, became the most important gathering place where tens of thousands of people gathered to express their strong dissatisfaction with the Trump administration. Protesters came not only from the local area but also from other places such as New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Participants held up signs opposing Trump's policies and displayed Ukrainian flags to protest the Trump administration's attempts to establish friendly relations with Russia. Some also wore Palestinian headscarves and carried "Free Palestine" signs to protest Trump's support for Israel.
From top to bottom: Protest activities in Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City. Social media video screenshots
Roger Broom, a retired fund manager from New Jersey, said he was concerned about Trump's economic policies, including the widely used tariff policies. "This will come at a cost to farmers in red states (leaning Republican). This will result in job losses - not to mention the loss of 401ks. People have already lost hundreds of thousands of dollars." A 401k is an American retirement benefit plan that allows employees to allocate part of their salary to their personal retirement account until they leave, with the amount allocated being self-determined. Employees enjoy tax benefits when withdrawing amounts after retirement.
Some protesters waved American flags at the protest site, occasionally hanging them upside down to show dissatisfaction. Many, especially federal employees and college students, were afraid to publicly express their opinions due to fear of retaliation.
In the rally in Washington, Maryland Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin, Florida's Maxwell Frost, and Minnesota's Ilhan Omar are among those who plan to speak to the crowd to show support and call for action.
Karen Fitzgerald, a 71-year-old retired teacher from Naperville, Illinois, is most concerned about veteran and environmental issues. "We had to do this, I feel both repulsed and sad," she said. "A nation that does not care for its veterans is not something to be proud of."
Melissa Jackson, a 41-year-old protester from New York, was once a special education teacher and a mother of a 3-year-old child receiving specialized learning programs for disabled students.
"I think this is absurd. New York, America, is a melting pot. What do we want? Do we not want diversity or inclusivity?" She worried about cuts to public education funding. "This is a step backward. We've made great progress and cannot take so many steps back."
In addition to Washington, state capitol buildings and other locations in all 50 states became protest sites. The Associated Press reported that Roger Broom, a 66-year-old retiree from Delaware County, Ohio, said at a rally at the Columbus state capitol building that he used to be a Republican but now dislikes Trump.
"He is tearing the country apart," Broom said. "This administration is unsatisfactory."
About 400 meters from Mar-a-Lago, where Trump resides, more than 400 people stood in the sun protesting. Drivers passing by honked their horns in support of the protesters. Someone held a sign reading "Stock Market Crash, Trump Plays Golf."
In another protest in Stamford, Connecticut, 84-year-old Friedman brought a handmade pink sign to oppose government cuts to medical research funds.
"I thought my days of marching were over, until people like Musk and Trump appeared." He complained.
In Denver, long-time Trump opponents said that during this round of protests, the number of Latinos participating was noticeably lower than during demonstrations in Trump's first term.
"Do you notice there aren't many Chicanos (American Mexicans) here? That's because people are scared." Brian Loma, 49, an environmental organizer, said that the Trump administration seemed to be "tearing up green cards." "This is crazy."
Ian Meins, a cybersecurity consultant from Aurora, Colorado, said this was his first protest. He said he had never noticed immigrants causing trouble in the community before, "but they are now being demonized."
He added that sending immigrants back to El Salvador was "disgusting."
One of the protest organizers, "MoveOn," said that over 1,000 protests were held simultaneously across the country that day, making it one of the largest single-day protests in recent years in the U.S. Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn, told USA Today that they concentrated all protests on one day to demonstrate how many Americans oppose cuts to essential services and benefits they deserve, such as Medicare.
"'Hands Off' means to let go of all these things, not just our services and benefits, but also our rights and freedoms, all of which are now under threat, and we see this happening every day," Epting said.
Despite the unprecedented scale of the protests, the White House said that Trump would not change his policy positions due to protests or lawsuits.
In a statement to the Associated Press, the White House said: "President Trump's position is clear: he will always protect eligible beneficiaries of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Meanwhile, the Democratic stance is to extend Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal immigrants, which will bankrupt these programs and overwhelm American seniors."
Trump announced the imposition of "reciprocal tariffs" on April 2, causing a stock market crash. The latest Reuters poll shows that Trump's approval rating fell to 43% this week, the lowest since he took office in mid-January.
Before the U.S. protests began, anti-Trump Americans also held demonstrations in Europe. They gathered on the streets of Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, and London to show opposition to Trump's complete changes to U.S. domestic and foreign policies.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7490001628477620746/
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