Tens of thousands rally against Trump, Musk in Washington state ‘Hands Off’ protests

Throngs of demonstrators gathered Saturday in dozens of cities across Washington state, and around the country, to protest the actions of President Donald Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk.

“Hands Off” was the rallying cry that progressive organizers chose for the protest — meant as a pushback on the presidential administration’s tariffs, deportations, cancellations of federal grants and programs, and other executive actions.

In suburban Bothell, hundreds of placard wavers lined both sides of Bothell Way Northeast for blocks. In Shoreline, hundreds more waved along busy Aurora Avenue North as passing drivers honked in support.

In Everett, organizers estimated at least 3,000 people joined the protest, the largest ever on the plaza outside the Snohomish County Courthouse.

“I wasn’t expecting this many people,” Indivisible Snohomish County organizer Naomi Dietrich told the Everett crowd. “I should have, but I wasn’t.”

“I believe this day will make history,” Dietrich said.

The state’s biggest protest was in Seattle. People marched toward the Space Needle from a nearby Tesla dealership — the site of weekly protests against the company’s CEO, Elon Musk — and from Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill.

Attendees' homemade signs displayed a mix of anger, anxiety, and creativity: “Fight for our Democracy,” “Protect Due Process,” and many more personal insults directed at current occupants of the White House.

Ten-year-old Sinan, whose parents asked that his last name not be used, made a sign proclaiming “Education Rules, Unlike this Guy,” and depicting Trump as Caligula. Sinan said education is important, “So we can learn what happened, history, so we don’t repeat it.”

Organizers included the progressive activist group Indivisible. Seattle Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat, addressed the crowd at Seattle Center, as did leaders of nonprofit and labor organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and Planned Parenthood. Democratic Representatives Suzan Delbene and Rick Larsen spoke in Everett.

A spokesperson for Indivisible told KUOW more than 6,000 people registered for the Seattle event. The group later estimated attendance at Seattle Center to be 25,000.

Approximately 1,300 marches were planned nationwide. Protests were scheduled Saturday in at least 40 Washington cities, including Bainbridge, Bellingham, Blaine, Bothell, Bremerton, Chelan, Covington, Deming, Eastsound, Everett, Everson, Federal Way, Friday Harbor, Issaquah, Kennewick, Longview, Mount Vernon, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Omak, Poulsbo, Port Angeles, Port Orchard, Port Townsend, Pullman, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shaw Island, Shoreline, Silverdale, Spokane, Sequim, Tacoma, Vancouver, Vashon, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, and Yakima.

Washington State Nurses Association President Justin Gill was part of the official lineup of speakers in Seattle. “The cuts proposed to Medicaid are not just numbers on a spreadsheet — they represent real people who actually lose access,” he told the crowd.

Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed also addressed the gathering, predicting that Trump’s trade policies will bring recession and higher prices at home. “Here in this Washington, we are trade-dependent. I’m talking about our seafood, our wheat, our hay, the workers who work at our docks,” she said.

In Everett, Marysville teacher Francine Corbett said saving the U.S. Department of Education was important to her, then rattled off a list of other Trump policies she opposed.

“There's too many to name,” Corbett said. “Honestly, it's just like we can't just stand around and do nothing.”

Many attendees said, beyond specific policies, they believe Trump’s actions have put the country in peril in just the first two months of his second term.

“Fascism is a real thing, is a real threat to our democracy and our American dream," said Natasha, a speaker in Everett who gave only her first name. Natasha said she had fled Russian fascism and become an American citizen 20 years ago. "I'm proud American, and I refuse to be silent while fascists are threatening our democracy,” she said to a standing ovation.

Attendees said the day of protest was a chance to stop doom scrolling and look around. In Seattle, Mei Hsieh said: “I think I get more hope attending an event like this where you can see Seattle coming together as a community, and that gives me more hope than reading the news every day. This is maybe the best place to start, coming together and voicing frustration and not being complacent.”

Tony Newton, of Seattle, said his family is full of veterans, including his father. But now he said the image of the United States is changing. “You think you’re doing the right thing, you think you’re fighting for the right cause, and now in one fell swoop these billionaires can come in and just take it all away and flip the switch on all of it, and it’s just not right,” Newton said.

University of Washington employee Jessica Colinares mentioned everything from “cancer research” to “the planet” on her handmade sign. She said between the state budget crisis and Trump’s cuts to federal research funding, plus the unsettled economy, “The University of Washington will have to constrict in ways I can’t even predict at this point.”

But then she said the gravity of what’s happening is so much bigger. “It’s our Constitution. I’m the daughter of a high school history teacher. He is gone but he is rolling in his grave right now. This is not the way our country is supposed to be run,” Colinares said.

Sgt. Patrick Michaud with the Seattle Police Department deferred to the “Hands Off” organizers to estimate crowd size but said Seattle’s event had gone smoothly. “I can say that one arrest for assault was made near the event, but it was not associated with it,” he said.

King County Republicans held their own day of speakers on Saturday to inspire candidates for office and political participation. Their event took place at the Expo Center in Enumclaw and included the Republican state party chair Rep. Jim Walsh, Andrea Suarez with the homeless outreach group “We Heart Seattle,” and the conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA.

The Snohomish County Republican Party did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

Additional reporting by John Ryan.