'He's Ruining Our Lives': Hands Off! Protests Trump Cuts

FAIRFAX, VA — Anyone driving along Braddock Road near Fairfax Memorial Park on Saturday afternoon would’ve seen about 45 older adults holding up signs and waving at passing cars.

“He's ruining our lives,” said Rona Hitland-Mason, referring to President Donald Trump. “He's ruining our country. I see no future at this moment for my grandchildren with everything that's going on. It’s awful.”

Residents of Woodleigh Chase senior living center wanted to participate in Saturday’s “Hands Off!” protests against Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s policies targeting Medicare and Social Security. However, they were unable to join the main protest on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The Woodleigh Chase Democratic Club organized Saturday’s demonstration, which took place a short walk away from the center on Braddock Road.

“This gave them an opportunity to express how they feel without having to go downtown — and the sidewalk’s wider,” said Hitland-Mason, who was one of the organizers. “We thought it might be safer.”

“It’s not so much that we change them,” said Maryanne Martonik, another of the organizers. “It's that they don't change us. That our sense of democracy, our sense of fairness, our sense of justice, has to stay the same, and we have to take care of that for ourselves. That's what we're doing here. We're saying we're not changing because somebody wants to shift how this country is going.”

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Saturday was the biggest day of demonstrations yet by an opposition movement after the upheaval of Trump’s first weeks in office, according to the Associated Press. Protesters nationwide from Midtown Manhattan to Anchorage, Alaska, assailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights.

Jerold Anderson, an 82-year-old retired Navy veteran who served 10 years of active duty and 10 years as a reservist, said he was concerned about the state of the country’s economy.

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“These are all the hands off stuff about Medicare and Social Security,” he said. “What drove me really over the edge this week was this tariff’s thing? The economy is in midst of being destroyed. … If somebody doesn't back down, this is going to continue.”

The “Hands Off!” demonstrations were organized for more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and elections activists, according to AP.

“This was entirely spontaneous,” said Supervisor James Walkinshaw (D-Braddock), who stopped by Saturday's demonstration on Braddock Road. “They organized this on 24-48 hours notice. It says a lot about how angry people are about what's taking place in Washington with Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

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On May 13, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will vote to adopt the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget. While that may clear up some of the uncertainty about county services going forward, the full impact of the Trump administration’s policies on local services remains unclear.

“There's a strong recognition on our board that we're in an era where we have to figure out how to do more with less,” Walkinshaw said. “We're gonna have less in terms of federal support and resources, probably less in terms of support from Richmond. We've got to be creative. We've got to partner with nonprofits and faith communities and community organizations to try to help people who are hurting or who will be hurting because of what's taking place in the Trump administration.”

This story includes reporting by the Associated Press.