APPLETON — A month after hundreds of people protested President Donald Trump’s address to Congress in downtown Appleton’s Houdini Plaza, a second protest of the Trump administration is happening today. The march is part of a wave of demonstrations across more than 30 Wisconsin communities and hundreds of other communities across the country, and also a march on Washington, D.C.
Here’s what to know.
What is the national Hands Off! protest?
The local demonstrators organized under the national “Hands Off!” branding created by a partnership of 182 organizations, many that have historically been associated with progressive politics. According to one of the organizations, Indivisible, nearly 500,000 people were signed up to protest across all 50 states Saturday, an organizational tactic similar to the international Women’s Marches during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The target of the protests was what national organizers characterized as “the most brazen power grab in modern history.” Specifically singled out was the influence of South African billionaire Elon Musk in Trump’s second-term administration. Protesters took aim at policies and decisions by the Trump administration, including the firing Veteran’s Affairs workers and the deporting an El Salvadorian man due to an “administrative error.”
TOMORROW: Over 500,000 Americans are taking to the streets at more than 1,200 nationwide events.“One main reason we’re showing up is because we recognize that the creeping authoritarianism is creeping closer and closer towards all of us.”
Posted by Indivisible Guide on Friday, April 4, 2025
National “Hands Off!” organizers made the argument on their website’s “About” page that the government’s actions amounted to “a hostile takeover” by Trump and Musk, that ordinary Americans were the victims of such policies, and that the reaction to protest on Saturday was appropriate.
“This is the moment where we say NO,” it read. “No more looting, no more stealing, no more billionaires raiding our government while working people struggle to survive.” It continued that, “We’ll show up at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, and city centers — anywhere we can make sure they hear us.”
When is the Appleton Hands Off! protest scheduled for?
The event is set to run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, at 100 W. Lawrence St. in Appleton.
What’s happening in Washington D.C.?
The Washington, D.C. event, expected to be the largest, started at noon at the Washington Monument. The protests are being livestreamed.
The office of the first lady said it was moving the White House’s annual spring garden tour to Sunday due to the protests. Trump is scheduled to be at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate. But protests are also scheduled for the Palm Beach area.
“Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told USA TODAY in a statement.
This story will be updated.
Jesse Lin of the Green Bay Press-Gazette and Sarah D. Wire of USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: ‘Hands Off!’ protesters gather at Houdini Plaza April 5
