“I’m a recovering Republican. John McCain and Ronald Reagan are spinning in their graves right now,” said Dedra Mount, from Irmo, South Carolina, “Anybody who backs Vladmir Putin is not an American. Hands off our democracy.” Mount joined more than a thousand demonstrators yesterday during a Hands Off protest at the statehouse in Columbia, SC on April 5, 2025. Organizers identified Trump administration policies and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as the motivation for a national day of action with reported millions joining the cause.

Lexi Nowicki, armed with a sign reading, “NO DICK-TATORS” said she came to protest for many reasons.

“I'm just really frustrated with the current administration. I feel like a lot of the legislature being passed doesn't represent what America wants as a whole, I think it's going entirely unchecked, and it shows a lack of empathy in terms of caring for the people that need it the most. And I'm just really frustrated because I feel like my rights are being taken away, the rights of people I love are being taken away,” said Nowicki, “I really hope that people continue to push back.”

The anti-Trump protest was the largest in Columbia since the president’s inauguration, and demonstrations across the United States appeared to be the most widespread. Looking at the photos, women appear to have carried the torch at this demonstration.

1000+ rally at SC Statehouse