Southwest Florida segments of a nationwide protest that raged on Saturday drew significant numbers with more than 1,000 attending a rally in Fort Myers.
According to the Associated Press, more than 1,200 “Hands Off!” demonstrations were planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists. The protest sites included the National Mall in Washington, D.C., state capitols and other locations in all 50 states.
Margie Vincent, a Lee County resident and self-described grassroots activist, was there early, handing out signs and urging action. She was heartened by those who turned out:
"I came out because we're here to tell Donald Trump and Elon Musk and the entire government, entire Congress, hands off. I don't know what all is going to happen today, but it's a start. We're getting more and more people invigorated and, you know, inspired."
Saturday morning protests were held in Cape Coral, by the headquarters of Congressman Byron Donalds, where some 400 made their feelings known, and in Port Charlotte, where more than 1,000 brandished posters and signs denouncing the DOGE tactics of Elon Musk and railing against the policies of President Trump.
Protests in Venice, Bradenton and Sarasota also drew significant crowds.
An afternoon protest in Collier County also drew between 1,200 and 2,000 demonstrators at the Collier County Courthouse.
Those attending the Fort Myers protest lined U.S. 41 north of the Daniels Parkway and Cypress Lake Drive intersection. An unofficial count placed the numbers around 1,500.
Jean Marie McLain was among the Fort Myers protesters making their feelings known.
"I need to show solidarity with all the other people who feel the same way I do that this administration is absolutely crazy. I think that having everybody get off their couch and being miserable at home gives us a chance to feel the absolute energy toward the resistance here. That's what this is for," she said."
Little if any counter-protest activity was in evidence other then a sporadic shouted epithet or derogatory gesture from a passing motorist. Those showing their support by honking seemed to drown out most of the negativity.
Law enforcement was visible, with regular passes by Lee County Sheriff's Office units and the Sheriff's Office chopper stationed overhead for a good portion of the event.
Around the country
Protesters at other sites assailed the Trump administration’s moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut federal funding for health programs.
Musk, a Trump adviser who owns Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X, has played a key role in government downsizing as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. He says he is saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign advocacy group, spoke at the Washington protest, criticizing the Trump administration’s treatment of the LBGTQ+ community.
Thousands of people marched in New York City’s midtown Manhattan. In Massachusetts thousands more gathered on Boston Common holding signs including “Hands off our democracy,” “Hands off our Social Security” and “Diversity equity inclusion makes America strong. Hands off!”
In Ohio, hundreds rallied in the rain at the Statehouse in Columbus.
Roger Broom, 66, a retiree from Delaware County, Ohio, said at the Columbus rally that he used to be a Reagan Republican but has been turned off by Trump.
“He’s tearing this country apart,” Broom said. “It’s just an administration of grievances.”
Hundreds of people also demonstrated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a few miles from Trump’s golf course in Jupiter, where he spent the morning at the club’s Senior Club Championship. People lined both sides of PGA Drive, encouraging cars to honk and chanting slogans against Trump.
Archer Moran from Port St. Lucie, Florida, said, “They need to keep their hands off of our Social Security.”
“The list of what they need to keep their hands off of is too long,” Moran said. “And it’s amazing how soon these protests are happening since he’s taken office.”
The president plans to go golfing again Sunday, according to the White House.
Asked about the protests, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”
Activists have staged nationwide demonstrations against Trump and Musk multiple times since Trump returned to office. But before Saturday the opposition movement had yet to produce a mass mobilization like the Women’s March in 2017, which brought thousands of women to Washington after Trump’s first inauguration, or the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that erupted in multiple cities after George Floyd’s killing by police in Minneapolis in 2020.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, protesters said they were supporting a variety of causes, from Social Security and education to immigration and women’s reproductive rights.
“Regardless of your party, regardless of who you voted for, what’s going on today, what’s happening today is abhorrent,” said Britt Castillo, 35, of Charlotte. “It’s disgusting, and as broken as our current system might be, the way that the current administration is going about trying to fix things — it is not the way to do it. They’re not listening to the people.”
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you. The Associated Press contributed to this report.