A large crowd gathered in downtown Traverse City on Saturday to protest recent actions by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s growing influence in the federal government.
The demonstration was one of more than 1,000 grassroots rallies held nationwide as part of the “Hands Off” protest movement, which organizers said drew over 500,000 RSVPs.
Attendees voiced a wide range of concerns, from potential cuts to Social Security and Medicaid to ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine and recent mass deportations.
Protesters filled the parking lot outside the Governmental Center in Traverse City, where speakers addressed how federal policies were affecting their communities. As the crowd swelled, it spilled out onto Eighth Street and along Boardman Avenue.
Speakers included veterans, farmers and local residents. Don Gallagher, a cherry farmer and an Elmwood Township trustee, spoke about the toll new tariffs have taken on the local agricultural economy.
“Canada is our number one importer of cherries because it was a free trade deal,” Gallagher said. “Now, I don't know. The apple market — those guys are taking a heck of a hit with these tariffs. Corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, pears — everything. And the problem is, farmers, for some reason, vote against their own interests.”
A lone counter-protester holding a Trump-Vance campaign sign walked through the crowd during the event. At times, demonstrators booed and held up their own signs to block his view.
On the podium
Justina Hlavka, a military veteran, expressed outrage over the firing of high-ranking military officials she believed was politically motivated.
“Decades of experience — gone. Why? Because they didn't fit his image of power,” Hlavka told the crowd, referring to Trump. “And then, with a straight face, he promotes Pete Hegseth. Give me a damn break. This isn't about qualifications, it's about ego, and it makes my red, white and blue blood boil. He's erasing women and minority service members from the Pentagon's history as if we never existed. I won’t be erased.”
The rally concluded with a speech from Callie Barr, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully in November to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman.
Barr criticized Musk’s influence in government affairs.
“We don’t owe our allegiance to a billionaire who never held a chainsaw, but gladly wielded it over our heads,” Barr said. “We hold our allegiance to the rule of law, which says everyone who comes before it is equal.”
After the speeches, protesters lined more than half a mile of Eighth Street, waving signs and chanting as cars passed by honking in support. Music and cheers filled the air.
In the crowd
“ I have friends that are veterans. I have friends that are disabled. I have friends that have chronic illnesses. I think everybody's lives are on the line at this point. ”
Liona Lutes
demonstrator
Many attendees cited a variety of reasons for joining the protest. Some expressed concern about environmental policies or access to health care. Others were motivated by fears for the future of Social Security. For many, it wasn’t about a single issue.
”Someone has a sign that says ‘The extent of my anger cannot fit on this sign,’” said Liona Lutes. “ I have friends that are veterans. I have friends that are disabled. I have friends that have chronic illnesses. I think everybody's lives are on the line at this point. ”
Her sign said “Hands off LGBTQ rights” and “Hands Off our National Parks.” She said it was important for her to come out and stand up as an LGBTQ person herself.
Speaking after the event, Barr reflected on whether demonstrations like this one have an impact.
“You always ask, do protests like this actually do anything?” she said. “I think they do. For one, they give hope — and that matters. I forget which political scientist said it, but if 3.5 percent of the population is willing to protest, that’s often when you see real change.”
Republican U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman was in Traverse City on Saturday as well, though not at the rally. An IPR reporter happened to run into Bergman at a diner on the city’s east side, and asked him about the nationwide protests, including the local event.
“If that’s what people want to do, that’s nice,” Bergman said.
He said people can exercise their First Amendment rights to peaceably assemble, and that tariffs recently imposed by the Trump administration are just a tool “in the toolbox of economic development and governing, tariffs are just one of those tools in the box.”
The protest wrapped up shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, as the last dozen participants packed up their signs.
Two young men wearing red MAGA hats stood nearby, chatting with departing protesters.
