Gallery • 13 Photos

Colin Wehrle

Demonstrators gather on Iowa Avenue April 5 at 11:30a.m. for the 'Hands Off!' protest against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Barricades were enacted throughout downtown Iowa City to ensure cars wouldn't interfere with the protest.

Over 1,000 Iowa City residents gathered near the Pentacrest on Saturday, April 5, to join the global “Hands Off!” protest against the Trump administration.

The protest — condemning issues related to Elon Musk like corporate influence in politics, government downsizing, tax policies and research cuts — lasted over two hours, with demonstrators marching throughout downtown Iowa City to send a message: hands off.

The protest was one of over 1,300 that took place nationwide, with some international support. The pro-democracy movement was initiated by organizations such as MoveOn and Indivisible for a mass mobilization. The movement garnered nearly 600,000 demonstrators — the largest demonstration against the Trump administration in its second term.

After the march, several speakers made speeches condemning corporate influence and research cuts.

During her speech, Johnson County Supervisor and Corridor Community Action Network founder and director Mandi Remington said, “Donald Trump and his billionaire allies are not just coming for our wallets…They’re coming for our identities, our communities and our very right to exist safely and freely in this country.”

“They know that diversity, equity and inclusion make us stronger. That’s why they’re trying to dismantle it state by state and institution by institution…They are all part of a larger, systemic effort to marginalize, overwhelm and weaken our community,” Remington said.

Baron Cunningham, an Iowa City resident, expresses that Trump’s policies directly affect him and his community, which is why he came to the protest.

“I’m bisexual myself, I [know] people [who] are trans, I know everybody in my friend group [is] being affected, even medically. It’s affecting everybody,” Cunningham said.

West student Moss Stutsman ’27 is also affected by recent legislation limiting LGBTQ rights and attended the protest after hearing about it from friends and family.

“I’m queer, I’m trans, I’m not too happy about what’s going on. I’m also an avid protest goer. It’s a protest around the whole country, so I thought that was amazing,” Stutsman said.

Stutsman has also attended walkouts and marches for various issues, including women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, Palestine and DEI programs. “Any protest that I [can] find, I go to, but it [is] really important right now to be going to as many protests as I can because of this political climate…it’s just really important to be active,” he said.

From kids to seniors, everyone fought together for a similar cause.

“It was really awesome because there [were] just so many people there,” Stutsman said, “and the thing about protests is parents will bring their kids and [the kids] won’t really know what’s going on….But there were a lot of kids who actually knew what was going on and wanted to be there. It was really cool, but it was also kind of heartbreaking, because I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, you shouldn’t have to be doing this. You’re like, nine.'”

“It was just so heartbreaking, but then also really cool to see all these people that come together. There was so many different people…we’re all here to support a similar cause. And it’s just really cool,” he said.

The effects of the protests are yet to be seen, but it’s undeniable that protests gained traction across all 50 states and in other countries.

One of the biggest demonstrations was in Washington D.C. Although Trump was not in D.C., many congress members made speeches, such as Reps. Jamie Raskin and Glenn Ivey of Maryland as well as Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, among others.

Even if the effects are limited, protesters still have plans for more “Hands Off!” protests in the coming week that will continue to push for change.

“I feel like it’s definitely going to have an effect. I feel like there’s so many ways that this could go. I’m always gonna try for a better future…I want to make as much change as I can, but I always prepare for the worst possible thing,” Stutsman said.