Whitman students rallied in Washington, D.C. for the “Hands Off!” protest in response to the Trump administration’s recent policies, April 5. 

More than 1,400 “Hands Off!” protests occurred throughout the country that day against President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. The protest in D.C. took place around the monuments and the National Mall, where crowds held up signs supporting reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, Social Security and veterans’ benefits, while also opposing tariffs. 

Sophomore Zoey Rees said that although she wouldn’t consider herself very politically active, she thought it was still important to attend the protest. 

“I don’t look at the news very often, but I realized there was some serious stuff happening that was unconstitutional,” Rees said. “I felt like I shouldn’t just sit and watch.”  

The Trump administration’s creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, has spurred debate after tens of thousands of federal workers left their jobs, were laid off or were fired. While the “Hands Off!” protests were not the first to dispute Trump’s second term, they represented the first mass mobilization of the opposition movement since the 2017 Women’s March and the 2020 George Floyd protests. 

Several speakers took to the podium in D.C., including Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who compared Trump’s politics to those of Mussolini.

“Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’ the preamble says ‘We the people,’” Raskin said at the protest. “No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

A pro-democracy movement organized these protests in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms. They outlined three main goals: ending government corruption, protecting federal funds for Medicaid and stopping attacks on marginalized communities.

With Gen Z becoming a greater influence in politics and voting, some believe it’s crucial that students get more involved. A Whitman student who asked to remain anonymous was at the protest and shared their perspective. 

“I think it’s important for students to be politically active and aware of what’s happening, because a lot of these policies affect them directly,” the student said. “I know it sounds to some people a little over-exaggerated, but I really think that democracy is on life support right now with the Trump administration.”