By Robin Levinson King (Boston), Jenna Moon (Washington DC), & Bernd Debusmann Jr (Florida)
BBC News | 5 April 2025 | Updated 1 hour ago
United States — Cities across the United States were swept by a wave of protest on Saturday as tens of thousands of demonstrators turned out to denounce President Donald Trump in the largest nationwide show of opposition since he took office in January.
Organized under the banner of “Hands Off,” protest organizers said rallies were planned in more than 1,200 locations across all 50 states, voicing broad opposition to Trump’s policies on a range of social, economic, and international issues.
Massive crowds gathered in major cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC. Demonstrators held signs, chanted slogans, and called for a reversal of what they describe as a divisive and damaging political agenda.
The demonstrations were sparked in part by President Trump’s recent announcement that the US will impose sweeping import tariffs on most countries, a move that has drawn sharp criticism at home and abroad. “Hands Off our economy, our rights, our future,” read one placard in Washington.
President Trump responded swiftly, slamming the protests on social media as “un-American” and “orchestrated chaos,” and calling for “law and order” in cities he accused of failing to control “radical agitators.”
Protests weren’t limited to the US. Solidarity rallies were held in global cities such as London, Paris, and Berlin, underscoring international unease with Trump’s increasingly isolationist stance.
The White House has yet to comment on whether the administration will address the demands of the protesters.
