Protesters across Oregon stand against public services cuts under Trump and Musk

Several thousand people took to the streets of Portland on Saturday afternoon as part of a nationwide movement to protest what organizers are calling an “illegal, billionaire power grab” by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

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There were several demonstrations in Portland on Saturday. But the largest, at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, began at noon and quickly grew to several thousand people, according to the Portland Police Bureau.

Portland Waterfront Park

One of the protesters, Erika Green of Portland, said she hopes the large turnout convinces more people to get on the streets and speak out. She remembered how large the Women’s March was in 2017 and said Saturday’s march had a similar feeling.

“I would say this is even larger than that,” Green said. “I’m also seeing a lot of people with signs that they’ve probably been holding onto since then and were hoping they didn’t have to bring out again.”

The massive crowd marched down Naito Parkway along downtown Portland’s eastern edge, chanting and waving a sea of different signs, most of which voiced displeasure with the Trump administration.

The crowd then turned onto the Morrison and Burnside Bridges, closing both to traffic entirely for a brief time. The Portland Police Bureau said in social media posts that both bridges eventually reopened to traffic.

Organizers of the nationwide “Hands Off” protests Saturday said participants are calling “on Trump and Elon Musk to take their hands off the programs that the middle class and working families rely on.”

Demonstrations began in the Portland metro area Saturday morning and continued throughout the day across the state.

Tigard

In Tigard on Saturday morning, several hundred people marched on both sides of Highway 99. Some protesters told OPB they were concerned about the impact tariffs will have on their life savings. Others feared for the future of Social Security and spoke out against recent deportations.

Portland Westmoreland Park

In Southeast Portland, about 500 people turned out at Westmoreland Park for an early rally. Speakers included Portland City Councilor Olivia Clark and Oregon state Rep. Mark Gamba.

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Gamba said he worried Trump’s policies are designed to destroy the current American system and empower billionaires, either to create a fascist or an oligarchic state.

“This is not something that just happened. This is something they’ve been preparing for a long time,” Gamba said. “They’ve just been checking the boxes. And we are in for the fight of our lives, for sure.”

In Central Oregon, demonstrations took place in Bend, Sisters, Redmond, Prineville, Madras and La Pine.

Bend

Hundreds of protestors lined the streets at the intersection known as Peace Corner in Bend. That included Annemarie Crosier, who had joined the demonstration in Sisters before heading to Bend on Saturday. She called the crowd size in Bend “a show of force.”

Many families at the Bend event were protesting together. One father, 45-year-old Scott Winters, said it was important to show his 11- and 13-year-old kids what protesting looks like.

Bend resident Jim Bullock said he has lived in the city for 33 years, and Saturday’s was the largest crowd he’d ever seen at a protest in Bend.

Madras

A crowd of about 200 gathered in Madras. Many of the protesters were from the city and its surrounding communities, but some traveled from as far away as Medford and Portland. The crowd included educators, disabled veterans, and forestry employees.

The lone counter-protester was a man waving a Trump flag, hoping to draw attention to the issues from a different perspective. The protest lasted just over three hours.

Pendleton

The crowd at Pendleton City Hall Saturday afternoon was also about 200 people. Umatilla County Democratic Party Chair Patrick Cahill was among the attendees and said he was “enamored” by the turnout.

Pendleton and Umatilla County have been Republican strongholds for decades, with Trump winning handily in the last three presidential elections. But Cahill pointed out the high number of federal workers who live in Eastern Oregon and how they’re affected by the massive cuts to federal spending.

Eugene

In Eugene, the City Hall was surrounded by thousands of protesters, including Mary Jo Sanders of Springfield. She said a wide array of issues drove her and her husband to participate.

“There’s just so many,” she said. “Threats to education, health care’s huge! We’re on Social Security. Our youngest is a trans female ... All those things are really frightening.”

Rallies organized by 50501 Movement

National “Hands Off” organizers were estimating that more than 1,000 events would take place in all 50 states and Washington D.C. Organizers said they hoped they could turn out hundreds of thousands of people.

The rallies are organized, in part, by the 50501 Movement, which held similar nationwide events on Feb. 5 and Feb. 17.

Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency, which has attempted to make significant cuts to the federal government. While many of those job cuts and government program reductions have been challenged in court, they’ve drawn notable ire and a growing protest movement from some Americans.

Related: Nationwide ‘Hands Off’ protests denounce Trump and Musk’s government downsizing

Protests against DOGE and Musk, the CEO of Tesla, have also been taking place at Tesla dealerships across the country.

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.”

Many media organizations noted a lack of protests shortly after President Trump was elected, contrasting the lack of civil actions with swift uprisings that took place in late 2016 and early 2017 during Trump’s first term.

Demonstrations that have taken place have not widely been marred by property destruction that was associated with protests in Oregon and elsewhere during that first term.

The Associated Press and reporters Brian Bull and William L. Robbins contributed to this report.