DALLAS – Demonstrators gathered in downtown Dallas Saturday afternoon to express their displeasure with Elon Musk and the Trump Administration.
It’s part of a nationwide movement fueled by people angry about the way President Donald Trump is running the country.
So-called Hands Off! demonstrations were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists.
What they’re saying:
In Dallas, protesters called for other branches of the government to use their checks and balances.
“We’ve got to stand up for a regime that is trying to take back a lot of our rights,” Stuart Salazar said. “In a system that has checks and balances, we have an executive branch that isn’t adhering to those checks and balances.”
Manny Medina said he was out in Dallas on Saturday to set an example for his students.
“I’m a teacher. I’ve got 30 years of experience. And the one thing I tell my students is make the world a better place than you left it, and we’re not doing that now,” Medina said. “We’re destroying our world with decisions we’re making as a country, and we just got to do better.”
Big picture view:
From the National Mall and Midtown Manhattan to Boston Common and multiple state capitols, thousands of protesters assailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights. In Seattle, in the shadow of the city’s iconic Space Needle, protesters held signs with slogans like “Fight the oligarchy.”
Demonstrators voiced anger over the administration’s moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut funding for health programs.
The other side:
Musk, a Trump adviser who owns 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.
The president planned to go golfing again Sunday, according to the White House.
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.”
The Source: Information on the downtown Dallas protest comes from event organizers and FOX 4 interviews. Information on protests around the United States comes from the Associated Press.
Downtown DallasDonald J. TrumpElon Musk
