CHICAGO (WLS) — Protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are taking place across the Chicago area on Saturday to demonstrate against the administration and its policies.
More than 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations have been organized by over 150 groups, which include civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans, and elections activists nationwide.
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Saturday’s protest sites include the National Mall in Washington, D.C., state capitols and other locations in all 50 states.
A rally at Chicago’s Daley Plaza started at noon. Demonstrations are also being held in suburbs like Berwyn, Gurnee, Palatine and Joliet on Saturday.
Critics are condemning the Trump administration’s decisions to dismiss numerous federal employees, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shut down entire agencies, expel immigrants, reduce protections for transgender individuals, and decrease federal funding for health programs.
Musk, a Trump adviser who owns Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in government downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
Meanwhile, the president plans 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.”
Activists have staged nationwide demonstrations against Trump or Musk multiple times since Trump returned to office. But the opposition movement has yet to produce a mass mobilization like the Women’s March in 2017, which brought thousands of women to Washington, D.C., after Trump’s first inauguration, or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted in multiple cities after George Floyd’s killing in 2020.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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