Washington:United States’ former Vice President Kamala Harris has come out in support of the ongoing “Hands Off” demonstrations against President Donald Trump and his billionaire advisor, Elon Musk. Harris, who lost the 2024 presidential race against the Republican, lauded Americans for standing up against Trump’s administration’s policies and said their voices would be louder than the ‘unelected billionaires.’
“Today in every state across our nation, Americans are standing up to the administration as they implement Project 2025 at full speed,” she wrote in a post on X.
“Thank you for using your voices and the power of protest to stand for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; for the Department of Education and programs like Head Start; for clean air and water; for the right to make decisions about your own body without government interference. The voices of working people will always be louder than the unelected billionaires,” Harris added.
Tens and thousands of Americans, angry about the way President Trump is running the country, marched and rallied in scores of cities across the United States on Saturday in the biggest day of demonstrations yet by an opposition movement trying to regain its momentum after the shock of the Republicans’ first weeks in office.
The so-called “Hands Off” protests were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans and election activists. The rallies appeared peaceful, with no immediate reports of arrests.
Satellite protests were also organised in several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Mexico, and American territories like Puerto Rico and American Samoa.
In America, protesters in cities dotting from Midtown Manhattan in New York to Anchorage, Alaska, and Washington assailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights.
Musk, a Trump adviser who runs Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in the downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
On the West Coast, in the shadow of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, protesters held signs with slogans like “Fight the oligarchy.”
Protesters chanted as they took to the streets in Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, where they marched from Pershing Square to City Hall.
Asked about the protests, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”