Thousands of people rallied throughout Southern California on Saturday as part of nationwide “Hands Off!” protests against the Trump administration’s steep cuts in federal programs, mass firings and a slew of tariff hikes that sent financial markets reeling.
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President Trump’s policies are ripping into the nation’s social safety and health nets and will lead to soaring prices on basic staples like groceries and cars, protest organizers said. Economic experts warned that Trump’s tariffs are a high-stakes gamble that risk throwing the U.S into a recession.
Dozens of protests and marches were held throughout the region and hundreds more across the nation for what’s been dubbed “mass mobilization day.”
A sea of almost 10,000 protestors began at Pershing Square and marched through the streets of downtown Los Angeles Saturday afternoon, with the crowd stretching across several blocks.
Among the downtown LA demonstators were Cynthia Perez and Mario Flores of Whittier, who attended with their daughters, Sofia, 14, and Valentina, 11. They held signs reading, “I vote in three years” and “I vote in seven years,” respectively.
“I just need to set an example for my daughters, and just have a place to show that they have a voice and that they need to speak that voice,” Perez said. “They need to fight for their rights as women and Latinos, and fight for everybody’s rights.”
The LA protesters carried a 20-foot-tall balloon of the image of President Donald Trump wearing a diaper and a 15-foot-tall helium-filled balloon representing Trump wearing a Russian military uniform during a march along a nearly milelong stretch of sidewalks and streets.
Among the signs: “Eggs are too expensive. Eat the rich,” “It’s not left vs right. It’s the oligarchy vs all of us,” and “Trump is Tarifying.”
At the Huntington Beach Pier, where hundreds of demonstrators gathered, Sheila Hanrahan, 77, said she’s been attending protests since her 20s, including supporting women’s rights and voicing opposition to the Vietnam War.
Now, even with more back pain, she said, she felt it was important to attend Saturday’s demonstration.
“I fear we’re losing our democracy,” she said. Hanrahan views the current administration as more dangerous than any previous one on civil rights.
Kevin Smith, another protester at the pier, said he served in the Army for 24 years and is a Korean War veteran and Bronze Star recipient.
“To see how Trump treats veterans is sad to me,” he said. “He disrespects us, he mocks us.”
Smith cited the Trump administration’s cutting of thousands of employees at the Department of Veteran Affairs, and Trump’s behavior at Arlington National Cemetery in 2024 as examples of the president’s poor record for helping veterans. Trump’s mockery of John McCain, he added, was a “punch in the gut.”
Of the veterans who remain steadfast in their support of Trump, he said, ”They’re not listening.”
At Santa Ana’s Sasscer Park, U.S. Rep. Dave Min (D-Irvine) assailed Trump’s tariffs as tanking global markets, putting more economic pressure on working Americans and threatening retirement savings.
“People are freaked out right now,” Min said. “So where is Donald Trump? Where is our president?“
“Golfing!” the crowd of around 5,000 shouted back.
Well I hope you MAGAts are happy with that orange felon you elected. 401k’s tanking, grocerys getting more and more expensive and the WHOLE world heading toward economic turmoil.
Do you remember one of your posters for tRump, Kamala = high prices, trump = low prices? He suckered you to vote for him to keep his fat azz out of jail.
I moved all my money out of the stock market the day he won the election and now I’m sitting pretty. Have fun with your orange Adolph suckers.
You losers are laughable.
Keep trying…..ROTFL.
Anyone who voted for tRump are losers.