SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — People across the nation joined in on the Hands Off movement to protest what the organization is calling a “Trump-Musk power grab.”
A crowd estimated in the thousands protested Saturday in downtown Sioux Falls as part of the nationwide movement to resist President Donald Trump’s agenda, with attendees focusing on the protection of things such as abortion rights, Social Security and free trade.
On the other side of the state, hundreds gathered in Rapid City, S.D., on Saturday. The streets surrounding Founders Park were filled with protestors.
“My angst is really about the millions of people who are hurting and will hurt because of his policies,” said Roni Wegner, with Indivisible 605, which helped organize the Sioux Falls protest. “I don’t see how it’s going to help. There is no long-term plan.”
Another attendee, Reed Boysen, said, “This is not a left or right moment, this is a right or wrong moment.”
The South Dakota chapter of the national 50501 Movement (50 protests, 50 states, one movement) was an organizer of protests in Rapid City and Pierre, S.D., saying that the protests were staged to “resist executive overreach, defend democracy, and oppose the harmful policies of Project 2025.” Conservative political groups wrote and published the Project 2025 plan as a roadmap to remake the federal government during Trump’s presidency.
The 50501 movement called on South Dakotans to “remove corrupt politicians from office,” “reverse the damage inflicted” and “reclaim our rights, our government and our future.” Across the country, the protests were known as “Hands Off” rallies, with partner organizations posting a website saying “Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. They’re taking everything they can get their hands on, and daring the world to stop them.”
Since Trump took office, he has moved rapidly with billionaire Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to fire hundreds of thousands of federal workers, cut or freeze billions in federal government spending, eliminate the federal Department of Education and take other actions that drew protesters into the streets Saturday.
