SALT LAKE CITY — Protesters filled the grounds of the Utah State Capitol Saturday afternoon for what organizers are calling the largest nationwide protest since the inauguration of President Donald Trump for his second term.
The "Hands Off" movement organized rallies all over the country. The groups "50501 Utah" and "Salt Lake Indivisible" organized the event at the state capitol. They're taking issue with possible cuts to social security and Medicaid, layoffs at nearby National Parks, and tariff policy.
Austin Morse worries about the rising costs that are expected with the tariffs.
“It’s going to hit my pocketbook, as well as experiencing rising costs of inflation. I’m concerned about being able to afford my own groceries," he said.
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Some of the protesters believe this administration's actions are threatening Americans' civil rights, and they're worried about the future.
“This isn’t a culture war — it’s a class war," Morse said. "It’s not about left vs. right because we have more in common with each other than we do different.”
Corroborating that sentiment was Ric Shertte.
“I’m a registered Republican, but I lean a little bit liberal. Everybody knows there’s problems in government, but just to slash and burn all of it and take it all down and do it in such a thoughtless and chaotic way," he said. "You can see what it’s doing.”
In addition to the Salt Lake crowd, there were also events held in Cache Valley, St. George, and several other spots across the Beehive State.
About 300 to 400 people gathered for a sit-in at Vernon Worthern Park in St. George.
Many were of retirement age, like Erica Wangsgard, who brought along her dog Charlie in protest garb.
“This is Charlie’s first protest, and honestly, it’s mine too,” she said. “It’s reached crisis point.”
These rally-goers had the same grievances as the Salt Lake crowd, along with an extra emphasis on the layoffs happening at nearby National Parks.
The other side of the park had a smaller protest of about 20 to 30 people supporting the president and protesting contrails and vaccines, but there was no confrontation between the two groups.
