‘Hands off’: Thousands rally in Philadelphia against Trump, Musk and federal cuts

Hands Off! National Day of Action — Source: Lisa Lake / Getty

Thousands of protestors came together over the weekend, to speak out against President Donald Trump and his policies in Center City Philadelphia on Saturday for the “Hands Off!” protest.

This protest was part of a nationwide movement organized by the 50501 Movement in collaboration with various advocacy groups. It also marked the first major opposition to Trump’s policies and his administration in a public setting.

The protest kicked off at noon at City Hall, and the crowd proceeded to march to Independence Mall, following a route along Market Street, leading to temporary road closures and traffic disruptions.

The movement was lead by leading lobbyist, and U.S. representatives, and other politicians.

“Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their billionaire cabinet are trying to rig our economy against working Americans so they can deliver trillions in giveaways to their billionaire buddies,” U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., said to the crowd. “We must fight back and ensure every American knows how Republicans are betraying middle-class families. I look forward to standing alongside my Philadelphia neighbors to show Trump we won’t accept his far-right agenda.”

Todd Hart, a retired architect from Ardmore who attended the protest, has mixed emotions about the state of democracy, and whether these protests are actually helping the cause.

“I’m concerned about our democracy. It feels like it’s slipping away,” Hart told WHYY. “I’m both scared and angry. I never thought that I’d have to worry about this in this country. “

He added that joining the rally and seeing that “other people are of the same mind” helped.

“It gives me some hope we could head it off, but I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know.”