PORTLAND, Ore. — Numerous planned anti-Trump rallies are planned across the Portland metro area on Saturday as part of a nationwide day of protest dubbed “Hands Off!” in reference to the widespread federal government staff and service cuts implemented by President Donald Trump’s administration and billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
The protests come just a few days after Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on nearly every U.S. trading partner, quickly triggering retaliatory tariffs and sending financial markets into an ongoing nosedive, although the rallies are billed as a protest against Trump administration policies and cuts more broadly.
Most of the local events share the same description on their online event pages, referring to Saturday as a “national mobilization day” to send a message that “we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies.”
“Trump and Musk are taking everything they can get their hands on — our health care, our data, our jobs, our services — and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now,” each organizing webpage reads.
The national event is being coordinated by MoveOn, Indivisible and other political groups and partners. Indivisible announced in a Friday morning Facebook post that more than 1,200 individual rallies have been planned and are collectively expected to draw more than 500,000 people across the country.
The largest event in Portland proper appears to be a rally and march at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, organized by the groups Rose City Indivisible and 50501 Portland. It runs from noon to 4 p.m. at the Japanese American Historical Plaza, according to an online information page, with a 2-mile march set to begin at 1 p.m. and then loop back to the plaza.
Speakers will include city councilors Angelita Morillo, Tiffany Koyama Lane and Sameer Kanal, along with Portland Black Panthers co-founder Kent Ford and representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Party of Labor and other advocacy groups, according to a news release from 50501 Portland.
Several satellite events appear to be planned across the city for Saturday morning, with participants urged to show up for a local rally and then head downtown for the main one. Event listings on the website Mobilize.us include a rally at 9:30 a.m. at Westmoreland Park, another at 10:30 a.m. outside the U.S. Post Office at 400 SE 103rd Drive, another at 10:30 a.m. at St. Johns Plaza, and another at 10:30 a.m. at Holladay Park.
Another listing from Multnomah County Democrats urges party members to meet up at the Battleship Oregon Memorial at 11:30 a.m. before heading over to the plaza for the main rally.
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) held a news conference Friday afternoon to discuss how the agency will respond to the events. PPB Chief Bob Day said the bureau is expecting a large turnout but described himself as “cautiously optimistic” that events would remain peaceful on Saturday.
“Just be aware that we expect there to be a high number of people participating, which I find to be exciting,” Day said.
He added that there have been several demonstrations so far during his tenure that have “really put Portland on display” in terms of striking a balance between public expression and public safety.
Assistant Chief Craig Dobson said PPB performs a risk assessment ahead of events and tries to reach out to organizers in advance, and he said in this case many of the organizers have been happy to share their plans. He said his biggest concern is making sure people can get medical attention if necessary, such as if someone trips and falls.
“We expect several hundred, maybe one to two thousand,” he said. “As we’ve assessed it, we’re not concerned about it. We think it’s going to be very peaceful and a great day for people to be outside, get their steps in and be able to enjoy the weather.”
The groups 50501 Clark County, Indivisible Greater Vancouver and MoveOn Clark County issued a news release announcing another Hands Off rally from noon to 3 p.m. at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, with a long list of speakers as well as musicians and poets who will perform.
For the rest of the metro area, Mobilize.us pages list Hands Off rallies for Clackamas and Washington counties starting at noon at Clackamas Town Center and at 2:30 p.m. at Beaverton City Park.
Both protests appear to have their own satellite rallies, with Saturday morning events listed at Hillsboro Civic Center Plaza, Universal Plaza in Tigard and the county library branch in Gresham. Another is listed for Forest Grove, though it’s at 4 p.m. instead of in the morning.
Beyond the metro area, there are Mobilize.us event listings for Hands Off rallies in cities across Oregon including Salem, Hood River, Eugene, Corvallis, Bend, Klamath Falls, Medford, Coos Bay, Astoria and many others.
