WASHINGTON — Opponents of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk rallied across Colorado and the country Saturday to protest the administration's actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights and other issues.
Nationally, more than 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations took place, organized by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. In Colorado, thousands gathered at several locations across the state, including on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol.
“It's about the overreach of the current administration and that we're demanding that they keep hands off our rights, everyone's rights,” said Jennifer Bradley, one of the organizers for the Denver rally.
Protesters also demonstrated in Arvada, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Loveland. They also took place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and other locations in all 50 states.
Protesters are assailing the Trump 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 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.
Protesters at the Colorado State Capitol told Denver7 they were worried about the effects government downsizing will have on Colorado's parks.
"With all the federal workers being cut, who's going to take care of our public lands? Who's going to steward our public lands and our wildlife?" said Sina Pierret.
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.”
Ben Wilson, one of the thousands of demonstrators at the Denver rally, said he is worried about cuts to funding for medical research.
He told Denver7 his son has a rare genetic condition called Bloom Syndrome, which leads to an incredibly high disposition to cancer at an early age.
“There's not going to be the funding and research to be able to set up trials for these kids,” he said.
Activists have staged nationwide demonstrations against Trump or Musk multiple times since the new administration took power. 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.
Organizers say they hope Saturday's demonstrations will be the largest since Trump returned to office in January.
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