Thousands of protesters condemning the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs and purge of the U.S. government marched Saturday through Midtown Atlanta and gathered at the Georgia Capitol.
The protest was part of a national day of action that included about 14 other demonstrations across Georgia and more than 1,200 planned nationwide. They called on President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, to take their “hands off democracy.”
Organizers of the Atlanta event estimated about 20,000 people turned out.
“Trump and Musk have got to go! Stand up, fight back,” crowds chanted as they departed from the southwest end of Piedmont Park around 1 p.m. toward downtown Atlanta. Motorists honked in support as protesters cheered louder and pumped up their handmade signs that read, “Hands off Social Security, CDC, VA,” “Send Musk to Mars” and “Democracy matters.”
By 2:30 p.m., protesters packed into Liberty Plaza at Georgia’s Gold Dome to hear from a slate of speakers including lawmakers, former federal employees and civil rights activists. The plaza reached its maximum capacity as officials directed the overflow to the Memorial Drive Greenway across the Downtown Connector.
Credit: Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sarah Boim, one of thousands laid off from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spoke out against the recent cuts to the federal workforce.
“When people see us — when they see thousands of fired scientists, medical doctors, communicators, epidemiologists and front-line staff — they need to understand what they’re looking at,” Boim said. “They might have fired us, but we’re still in this fight.”
Lawmakers including U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, and State Rep. Gabriel Sanchez, D-Smyrna, were in attendance. Johnson marched with the crowd, lauding Atlanta for the “tremendous turnout,” while Sanchez urged the Democratic Party to unite and stand up for democracy as the future of the country sits at a crossroads.
“We have to decide if we are going to be a party for the people or a party for the people at the top,” he said in Liberty Plaza as the crowd broke out in cheers.
Activists have staged nationwide protests since Trump’s return to the White House, but Saturday’s demonstration was among the largest, signaling a growing frustration toward the administration.
The protest came on the heels of a whirlwind week of mass layoffs at the CDC that sparked protests at the Atlanta headquarters Tuesday, and historic tax hikes that risk higher inflation and saw the stock market nosedive Thursday and Friday.
Trump announced Wednesday a 10% baseline tax on imported goods from nearly all of America’s trading partners, which went into effect Saturday, as well as elevated rates on dozens of nations slated to go into effect next week. Countries in Asia will take the greatest hit, as Japan and South Korea face tariffs as high as 26%, and China faces an additional 34% tariff on top of existing levies.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The president has defended the measure, saying the global trading system has hurt the country for decades and that the tariffs are aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and restoring fairness in the system. But experts warn that the tariffs could destabilize the global economy.
The top five import markets for Georgia are Mexico, China, South Korea, Germany and Vietnam, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
On Friday, China retaliated with its own 34% tariff on U.S. imports starting April 10. China is Georgia’s No. 3 export market, behind Canada and Mexico, according to Georgia Department of Economic Development data for 2024.
Credit: Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“We had the envy of the world under previous leadership,” David Williams, 79, said. “Now, we’re the total laughingstock of the world.”
Williams, of Stone Mountain, had built up his retirement savings for more than 45 years, and called the Trump administration’s handling of the economy, and “attack on Social Security nothing but outrageous.”
“They’ve gone way way too far,” he said. “It’s so obvious he’s destroying our basic rights with no regard for the rule of law. He’s a train wreck.”
Williams said he was one of the lucky ones who moved his money into stable cash investments, only incurring some minor losses after the stock market took a dive.
“I was much more fortunate than others,” he said.
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lily Carpenetti of east Cobb, who made six different posters for Saturday’s rally, said one poster was not enough to encapsulate all that she found problematic with the current administration.
“There is no way mass tariffs are going to result in anything but economic turbulence,” she said.
Last week, hundreds of anti-Musk protesters swarmed Tesla dealerships across metro Atlanta and over 250 cities worldwide as part of the “Tesla Takedown” grassroots movement.
Warning signs for the Tesla CEO emerged this week when Tesla announced a 13% drop in global sales in the first quarter compared to a year prior, and the conservative judge whom Musk backed with over $20 million lost a pivotal seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to liberal candidate Susan Crawford Tuesday. Trump said Musk will likely leave the administration in “a few months” with signs that DOGE, responsible for shrinking the federal government, is winding down sooner than anticipated.
Credit: Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Debra Hughes, 60, said the administration’s policies have directly impacted her family and friends, including her brother-in-law who works for the Department of Veterans Affairs — which plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs, her children who are coming of age under a roll back of abortion rights and friends who fear for their own children’s LGBTQ+ rights.
“We need to focus on democracy,” she said. “It’s not about convincing or attacking your neighbor who voted for Trump. It’s just about impacting policy. I’m calling my representative every week.”
The Douglasville resident said she finds hope in making her voice heard in protests and encouraging others to do the same.
“I encouraged four other people to show up who otherwise would not have come out today,” she said. “It’s about getting out here and helping others express what they want to say about what’s happening in our government, to our families, our kids.”
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