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NEW YORK- Over 1,200 protests spanning all 50 states took place on Saturday, rallying against President Donald Trump's administration, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), reciprocal tariffs, federal layoffs and immigration reform.
Fox News Digital spoke with protesters in New York City about why they were demonstrating, what they hoped their protesting would accomplish and if they had been personally affected by DOGE.
"[I'm] protesting how horrible things have become in our country," said May, who lives in Manhattan and held a sign she was reusing from protesting Trump's first term. "I mean, we've been taken over by a bunch of robber barons who are trying to take away all of our rights, benefits, and liberty."
May joined thousands of others in New York City's Bryant Park, who also carried signs which opposed budget cuts and Project 2025, while supporting Planned Parenthood and chanting critiques against the administration.
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"I am protesting what is happening with this blessed country, the democracy that was advanced democracy now in transition to a dictatorship, and we are almost in a fascist state right now - only because the rule of law is bending right now, and it may break," shared Yalena, who is from Ukraine and has lived in the U.S. for over three decades.
One resident from Ridgewood, Queens, Mary, held a sign that stated "Stop Republican Chaos."
"I am outraged," Mary said. "The Republicans in Congress are enabling Trump to do many, many things. Everything he's doing is wrong, and they know it, and they are enabling it. The Republicans must go. They're causing chaos. People have to vote blue for every office, always."
When asked what she hoped the protest would accomplish, Marty from Yonkers, who considers herself to be "a proud higher education 'diversicrat,'" said she wanted people to know that everyone is "ticked off."
"I mean, this isn't just you sitting at home in your jammies being ticked off. A lot of people are, and it goes back to 'you don't agonize, organize,'" she told Fox News Digital.
Last weekend, over 200 "Tesla Takedown," protests were also organized around the U.S. to rally against Trump-appointed DOGE head, Elon Musk, and the department's related budget cuts.
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Several protesters, including Josh from Queens, said they hadn't been personally affected by the DOGE budget cuts, but noted that everyone knew someone who had - especially in education and science.
"I have a lot of friends who are teachers [and] the cuts from the Department of Education are pretty scary … I work directly with special needs students, and I'm worried that some of that funding might be cut as well," he told Fox News Digital.
Trump has seen his poll numbers slip in recent weeks, although he has generally seen better numbers thus far than at any point during his first presidency. His administration has moved at a breakneck pace since January on his initiatives, and Trump's team has remained confident that his various moves on issues from trade to immigration to government downsizing will benefit the nation long-term.
Wendy, a professor living in New Jersey, said she was particularly concerned about cuts to higher education and science.
"I know scientists who have had grants cut, significant grants cut," she said. "Grants that help get women into science, and girls interested in science and grants that help move science and knowledge forward in the United States."
On DOGE's "Agency Efficiency Leaderboard," which details which government agencies have saved the most from canceled contracts and other methods to cut costs, the Department of Education ranks in second place. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) ranks in 13th place, as of March 30.
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According to DOGE, it claims on its site it has saved Americans $140 billion, or $869.57 per taxpayer, while critics say it's been opaque about its methodology and accounting.
"I haven't been affected, but I used to work at the NIH and a lot of my colleagues have been fired as a result, so scientific research is being halted because of DOGE," said one unnamed, masked protester, holding a sign which had the scientific symbol for "resistor."
"Hands Off!" is a grassroots movement supported by civil rights groups, labor unions and other advocacy organizations and is described on its website as a "nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history." The protests that took place this weekend are being regarded as the largest nationwide display of opposition since Trump began his second term and occurred just after the Trump administration implemented a baseline duty of 10% on all imports to the U.S.
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The White House and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
