For the third time in less than two months, critics of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk gathered in Polk County to voice alarm at the president’s policies.
Saturday afternoon’s rally in Munn Park was the largest yet. Protesters braved near-record heat to occupy the north end of the park, carrying signs that were a mixture of printed banners with the “Hands Off!” logo and homemade posters bearing such messages as “Only you can prevent fascism” and “DOGE hurts veterans.”
DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, is the group led by Musk that Trump assigned to curb federal spending, leading to a spate of layoffs and the dismantling of some government agencies.
Organizers expected more than 1,000 people at the rally. It was part of a nationwide network of demonstrations planned under the name “Hands Off!” More than 150 groups planned the rallies, The Associated Press reported, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists.