Posted April 8, 2025 | by KimS | in 2025 Trump Administration, Civil Rights, Climate, DemDaily, Democratic Party, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Gun Control, Health Care, Immigration, International, Labor, Trump Administration

DemDaily: In This Moment

April 8, 2025

Millions of people across the country took to the streets on Saturday to protest the unprecedented dismantling of our democracy by President Donald Trump and his chief advisor and eviscerator, billionaire Elon Musk.

The Hands Off! Mass Mobilization -- the largest single day of action since Trump was sworn in for a second term -- spanned over 1,300 peaceful protests across all 50 states, DC, the US territories, and a dozen locations globally.

Turnout for the historic events, planned by a coalition of more than 155 partner organizations, alliances and labor unions, far exceeded expectations -- underscoring the groundswell of opposition to the blatant corruption of the Trump administration.

In Washington, DC alone, which counted 12,500 RSVPs the week before, organizers said over 100,000 attended.

Two-term Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost (D), the first Gen Z member elected to Congress, rocked the stage at the Washington Monument, passionately portraying the state of play and the mission ahead for Democrats and a disgruntled electorate:

"A lot of times when you don't have all the power that you want, you use all the power that you got. And that's what we have to do in this moment...their movement is run by fear, trying to push us against one another...They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they're the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go in union busting. They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they're the ones dismantling public education...denying the climate crisis...poisoning our planet...doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence. They want us to believe that they're the patriots of free speech, but they're the ones kidnapping and disappearing college students across this country who are just fighting for peace..." - Congressman Maxwell Frost

"A lot of times when you don't have all the power that you want, you use all the power that you got. And that's what we have to do in this moment...their movement is run by fear, trying to push us against one another...They tell us that immigrants are stealing our jobs, but they're the ones shipping jobs overseas and hiring corporate lawyers to go in union busting. They tell us that trans people are a threat to our children, but they're the ones dismantling public education...denying the climate crisis...poisoning our planet...doing nothing about the national public health emergency of gun violence. They want us to believe that they're the patriots of free speech, but they're the ones kidnapping and disappearing college students across this country who are just fighting for peace..." - Congressman Maxwell Frost

"Our way out of this is not to back down, is not to be silent, is not to be divided. Throughout human history, authoritarians they're never satisfied with the power that they have. And so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they're quiet or if they're loud. If we are quiet, if elected officials are quiet, then we are complicit. And we cannot be complicit in the tearing apart of Medicaid, of Social Security, of food stamps, of nutritional assistance, of the things that we've fought for and earned.... The message is simple...when you steal from the people, expect the people to rise up at the ballot box and on the streets..." - Congressman Maxwell Frost

"Our way out of this is not to back down, is not to be silent, is not to be divided. Throughout human history, authoritarians they're never satisfied with the power that they have. And so they test the bounds, they push the limits, they break the law, and then they look at the public to see if they're quiet or if they're loud. If we are quiet, if elected officials are quiet, then we are complicit. And we cannot be complicit in the tearing apart of Medicaid, of Social Security, of food stamps, of nutritional assistance, of the things that we've fought for and earned.... The message is simple...when you steal from the people, expect the people to rise up at the ballot box and on the streets..." - Congressman Maxwell Frost

"I'm not going to be the one to sit here and say everything is going to be okay. Because to be honest, there's going to be a lot of people, and there's already a lot of people who are not okay, who are suffering from this authoritarian right-wing regime that is trying to have a billionaire takeover of our government. But the good thing is we are not alone. Not just in this moment and in this crowd, but I mean we're not alone in the grand mosaic of humanity and timeline of justice. We stand alongside the water protectors, the freedom fighters, the anti-war warriors, the labor organizers and movements of working people throughout human history that have seen the world through the eyes of the most vulnerable and said, we are all together, we are not divided, and we are not apart." - Congressman Maxwell Frost

"I'm not going to be the one to sit here and say everything is going to be okay. Because to be honest, there's going to be a lot of people, and there's already a lot of people who are not okay, who are suffering from this authoritarian right-wing regime that is trying to have a billionaire takeover of our government. But the good thing is we are not alone. Not just in this moment and in this crowd, but I mean we're not alone in the grand mosaic of humanity and timeline of justice. We stand alongside the water protectors, the freedom fighters, the anti-war warriors, the labor organizers and movements of working people throughout human history that have seen the world through the eyes of the most vulnerable and said, we are all together, we are not divided, and we are not apart." - Congressman Maxwell Frost

"it's not going to be easy...I always tell people the testament of an organizer is what you do when nobody's paying attention. But the testament of a movement is what you do when the world is watching and the world is watching our country right now." - Congressman Maxwell Frost, April 5, 2025

"it's not going to be easy...I always tell people the testament of an organizer is what you do when nobody's paying attention. But the testament of a movement is what you do when the world is watching and the world is watching our country right now." - Congressman Maxwell Frost, April 5, 2025

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