'Not Here to Beg for Scraps': Indian Americans Throng Anti-Trump Protests in US

“I marched because I refuse to be silent while our democracy is gutted in plain sight," said Swati (name changed), an Indian American student who was among the hundreds of New Yorkers who thronged the iconic Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Saturday, 5 April.

Similar demonstrations against US President Donald Trump and billionaire-turned-politician Elon Musk erupted country-wide in what was dubbed as 'Hands Off!' protests—with thousands of Indian Americans joining in.

Swati“This rise of authoritarianism is a fire lit by Trump and his corrupt billionaire-friends who don’t know the slightest of what it means to live in America without a silver spoon.”

Protesters carrying signs and chanting slogans against the policies of US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Saturday, 5 April in Miami.

More than 150 groups — including civil rights organisations, labour unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans, and election activists — organised over 1,200 of these demonstrations. Protesters gathered at sites across all 50 states, including the National Mall in Washington, DC, state capitals, and other key locations.

Organisers said they have three demands:

• An end to the “billionaire takeover” and “rampant corruption” of the Trump administration

• An end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programmes working people rely on

• An end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities

'Hands Off!' protesters in Washington DC.

'It's Not Politics, It's Personal'

Citing fears of institutional disciplinary action, Swati said:

“What we’re witnessing isn’t just bad policy—it’s a fundamental reshaping of the country, led by billionaires and demagogues who think power is their birthright and the rest of us are expendable. When Musk and Trump team up to dismantle public institutions, slash social programmes, and target vulnerable communities, it’s not just politics—it’s personal.”

Since coming to power, Trump’s administration has fired tens of thousands of government workers; dismantled the US’ primary foreign aid office amongst other federal agencies; stopped hundreds of DEI policies; cut federal funding for health programmes; pulled the shutter on Social Security Administration field offices; deported immigrants and critics; and severely reduced protections for transgender persons.

“The chants of 'Hands Off!' weren’t just slogans—they were warnings. Warnings to those in power that we are watching, we are organising, and we will not be gaslit into apathy,” Swati added.

According to Swati, both her parents, who moved to the US in the early 1990s and are naturalised US citizens, voted for Trump with hopes that he would bring “decisive and mostly rational decision making without digging at American diversity and inclusivity.”

“Clearly, they were wrong,” the 26-year-old added.  

The Quint was briefly able to speak to Elisa (name changed), another Indian American who's a key member of the organisation behind the 'Hands Off!' protests. Speaking to The Quint about what may come next, she said,

“What gives me hope is that this was more than a protest—it was a coalition. Black, brown, queer, disabled, immigrant, union worker—we were all here, united in rage and in care.”

A demonstrator dressed as the Statue of Liberty participates in the 'Hands Off!' protests against US President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington.

Although exact crowd sizes are hard to determine, according to the organisers, over 600,000 people had registered to take part, with events also held in US territories outside the mainland, and in more than a dozen international locations such as London, Berlin, Frankfurt, and across the European Union.

“We are not here to beg for scraps. We are here to demand justice, to defend communities, and to fight for a global future where billionaires don’t get to play emperor with our lives,” Elisa told The Quint on Sunday evening.

“So, to Trump, to Musk, and to anyone else who thinks they can steamroll us into silence—know this: we’re just getting started. And we’re not afraid,” she added.

'Rejection of This Crisis'

Protests against Trump swept across the US from major cities to small towns. On Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, demonstrators stretched nearly 20 blocks. In Chicago, thousands filled Daley Plaza and nearby streets. In Washington DC, tens of thousands surrounded the Washington Monument, with some traveling from as far as New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Atlanta police estimated over 20,000 marched to the gold-domed statehouse.

“Whether you are mobilised by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services—this moment is for you,” the event flyers said. “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.”

Mohit Johar (name changed), an Indian student in San Francisco on a student visa, volunteers with the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Northern California. When asked if his visa status and previous participation in Pro-Palestinian protests makes him nervous as Trump continues to deport student-dissenters, Johar replies:

“It is scary. I’ve seen friends harassed by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officials just because of how they look, what they say, and their political opinions. If Trump is coming after student-dissenters, then I guess I’m on his list, because I’m not staying silent.”

“You have to fight for your government to listen, this lot is quite stubborn. I did the same back in India, and the lack of an American citizenship will not stop me from raising a voice against Trump and his discriminatory policies.”

While protestors took to the street on Saturday, Trump was reportedly playing golf in Florida, doing what can appear to be ignoring the protests. 

The White House maintains its stand. In a statement released to the White House Press Pool, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump’s position is “clear”. 

“He will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programmes and crush American seniors.”

It is important to note that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Programme, and only some lawfully present immigrants qualify subject to eligibility restrictions.

Moreover, they are not permitted to collect any Social Security or retirement benefits, even though undocumented workers are still required to pay taxes on any income earned in the US, according to an analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Protesters hold signs as they join a 'Hands Off!' demonstration against US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, at the Trafalgar Square, in London.

'Reminds Me of Hitler'

Blasting Trump and Musk, Reverend Neal Christie, a Gujarati-American minister and member of the clergy for over 35 years, told The Quint:

“We took to the streets across the country to fight back with a clear message: Hands Off!”

When asked about the issues which pushed Christie, whose parents converted from Jainism and Hinduism to Christianity, to join the protest, he replies, “The Trump administration is segregationist; it does not encourage us to be with others. They want to create the Faith Office and claim to be the force fighting against anti-Christian and anti-Semetist values, but aren’t those Trump’s very own values?”

Trump’s creation of the Faith Office is the latest in a string of moves aimed at appeasing his base of Christian nationalists—those who believe the US government should actively advance Christian values as central to American identity.

Critics, including Rev Christie, warns that in today’s political climate, Christian nationalism has become a cultural force that “blends white ethnonationalism with nativist, patriarchal, militaristic, and authoritarian ideologies.”

Since Trump’s inauguration, his national policy agenda has increasingly incorporated overt conservative Christian rhetoric—often at the expense of marginalised communities. In a recent Executive Order declaring that US policy would “recognise two sexes, male and female,” Trump mandated that newly issued US passports would no longer reflect the preferred gender identities of trans and nonbinary individuals.

Following the announcement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “They can still apply to renew their passport—they just have to use their God-given sex, which was decided at birth.”

“Where’s this so-called Christian image? Rolling back DEI policies, banning textbooks, taking over museums and cultural centers, hitting out at everyone who’s not white, depriving the world of our abundant resources and foreign aid, and the constant propaganda to try and establish some form of supremacy. All of this is anti-Christian. It reminds me of Hitler,” added Rev Christie.