They rallied in Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and 1,300 other places.
A combined attendance of at least a million people came together to send a message to the president and the man who purchased the co-presidency, Elon Musk. The message — hands off our Social Security, our Medicaid and Medicare, our 401(k) accounts, our immigrant brothers and sisters.
Organized by MoveOn, and supported by hundreds of organizations, the turnout for the Hands Off movement may be a foundation for the necessary resistance to the oligarchical perfidy we can expect from this administration.
Many were attending mass events like this for the first time. They didn’t go to the Women’s March or to the rallies against racism. They came out this time because they are outraged at the lawlessness of this administration.
Many were older, not the rallying kind, but they are apprehensive about what will happen with Social Security and other benefits. Others are federal employees, uncertain about their jobs and futures. There were teachers, nurses, attorneys, physicians, poor people and patriotic millionaires, from every demographic.
The Hands Off rallies are the making of a movement.
No one should be surprised by the Trump administration’s reckless disregard for the Constitution, for human rights, civil rights and the order of law. Project 2025 details all of these actions, but some people don’t believe that fat meat is greasy. In other words, they heard what the president said he was going to do, but didn’t believe him. Now that their jobs are being eliminated, their relatives being deported and their food prices are rising, they are saying “we didn’t vote for this.” The massive nature of the Hands Off suggests resistance to this administration’s policies transcends the grousing of a few left-wing activists and Trump detractors. Instead, many who voted for the current order are now experiencing buyer’s remorse.
April 5 was a statement, but what’s next? Will people mobilize? Will some of the nonvoters get registered and ready for the 2026 elections? Will the tremendous energy of April 5 encourage people to get involved in state and local politics, perhaps running for office or supporting candidates that reject the extremism of this administration, and demand more than the platitudes about “a little bit of pain?”
It’s easy for some to talk about a “little bit” of pain, but some will find the pain imposed by this administration unbearable, especially those with lower incomes.
The MoveOn team and the organizations that supported Hands Off must keep the momentum going. Otherwise, April 5 will be simply an exciting activist moment. Justice demands a movement, one that is transformative, and also encourages the bipartisan conversation that this administration has avoided.
There were some young Black activists, especially Black women, who encouraged people to avoid the rallies. My cursory view (along with some reporting) suggests that while the speakers and entertainment “looked like America” the crowd looked whiter than reality. Some Black folks have activism fatigue, and we all get it.
Those who oppose this administration’s policies are among those who gathered on April 5. Now they must keep their opposition going in the months to come. Thanks, again, MoveOn, and thanks to all who turned out. The Hands Off website (handsoff2025.com) has information about a May 1 action.
Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author and commentator based in Washington, D.C.