Tens of thousands protest against Trump administration at rallies across US

Tens of thousands of people participated on Saturday in protests across the US against President Donald Trump and his administration's policies.

In Washington, thousands gathered on the National Mall, demanding an end to the slashing of federal agencies and ramped-up deportation orders, as well as the protection of Social Security and other public benefits.

The Trump administration has cut thousands of jobs, cancelled programmes and frozen foreign aid in an effort to combat waste in the federal government. The administration's actions have included dismantling the US Agency for International Development and gutting the Department of Education.

Leading the charge is billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. Many signs at the Washington protest demanded an end to Mr Musk and other billionaires influencing government policy.

Politicians including representatives Jamie Raskin and Don Beyer were in attendance, with Mr Raskin mounting a stage to address demonstrators.

“No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing,” Mr Raskin said.

More than 1,200 “Hands Off” demonstrations were planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organisations, labour unions and veterans. The protest sites included state capitols, city halls and other locations in all 50 states.

Thousands of people marched in New York City's midtown Manhattan. In Massachusetts, thousands more gathered on Boston Common.

The protests take place days after Mr Trump unveiled blanket 10 per cent tariffs in addition to "reciprocal" trade tariffs on countries around the world. The tariffs have sent the markets into a tailspin, with the Dow Jones slumping more than 2,200 points on Friday. Many protesters at the Washington event carried signs demanding the administration rescind the tariffs.

Activists have staged nationwide demonstrations against Mr Trump or Mr Musk several times since the President returned to office, but the demonstrations have yet to produce a mass mobilisation like the Women's March in 2017 or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted in 2020.

Alongside the larger anti-Trump protest in Washington was a demonstration against the war in Gaza. The US capital has been the site of numerous anti-war protests in the almost 18 months since the war began.

"You can't just sit there and not do anything about it, as futile as it seems," Aaron Dunbar, who has participated in three other protests in Washington against the Gaza war, told The National. "You still have to show up and try."

Mr Trump, who has vowed to end the war and bring peace to the Middle East, has said he wants to displace Palestinians from Gaza amid postwar reconstruction that could take between 10 to 15 years. Domestically, the administration has targeted foreign students who participated in anti-war demonstrations on university campuses last year, revoking visas and issuing deportation orders.

"Trump has decided to attack free speech rights in this country in order to scare the Palestine movement into silence," Layan Fuleihan told The National. "This demonstration is evidence that this is actually not going to happen. In fact, the opposite will happen – the movement will continue to grow."