Hundreds of protests are set to take place across the country this weekend, including dozens in Oregon, in what organizers are calling the largest coordinated demonstration against President Donald Trump’s administration to date.

More than 800 protests are planned for Saturday, April 5, across all 50 states and some international locations. More than a dozen will occur in Oregon, including in communities that have historically supported Trump.

Known as the “Hands Off” protests, the April 5 demonstrations are aimed at pushing back against Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the controversial Department of Government Efficiency, an agency that has drastically slashed federal budgets and laid off thousands of government workers. Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government, particularly his role in cutting services and increasing federal contracts for his own companies, has become a flashpoint for demonstrators.

Oregon sees unprecedented participation

Several of the demonstrations are planned for conservative areas, such as Redmond, La Pine, La Grande and Baker City.

Protesters announced they will gather at noon at the Wallowa County Courthouse in Enterprise and at 2 p.m. at Max Square in La Grande.

“We are concerned about things that have been happening in Washington, D.C.,” said Michael Eng of Lostine, a local organizer of the Wallowa County rally.

Matt Cooper, a local musician who says he plans to attend the La Grande rally, said in a press release the Trump administration is ignoring the rule of law

“They are defying the courts and taking over the power that belongs to Congress. I never dreamed I’d live in a time when the future of our American democracy is in peril,” he said.

There are similar rallies in Pendleton and Walla Walla. Protests are also planned in Redmond, Sisters, Madras and La Pine.

Political scientists say rural Oregonians are impacted by the Trump administration in ways they weren’t during his first term, meaning the protests have the potential to bring out big crowds, not just for urban areas such as Portland and Bend, but small communities as well.

“The scope of effects that some of President Trump’s policies have had — particularly cuts to services — have quite significantly affected rural communities,” said Chris Shortell, associate professor of politics and global affairs at Portland State University.

Rural Oregonians view Trump more favorably than those living in urban areas. In 2024, Trump won by huge margins in conservative counties. In Jefferson County — home to Madras, where a demonstration is planned — Trump beat out opponent former Vice President Kamala Harris by nearly 2-to-1.

But Oregonians of all political ideologies are feeling impacts from the Trump administration, Shortell said. USAID, which Trump and Musk have worked to shutter, played a big role in the agricultural industry, Shortell said, purchasing crops from farmers. Other changes, such as the firing of federal workers in Central Oregon, could be harmful, especially in regard to wildfire season.

“Those kinds of factors, and concerns about Social Security and language from the administration about what cuts they would be making have put people on edge that wouldn’t have been before,” Shortell said. “Cuts to things like veterans services are things that cut across pre-existing political lines.”

‘The time to act is now’

The April 5 protests are the latest in a series of activist actions against Trump and Musk. Protesters have frequently targeted Tesla dealerships, drawing attention to Musk’s political influence and the economic shifts caused by DOGE’s policies. The department has been criticized for eliminating consumer protections, cutting Medicaid and reducing Social Security services, moves that have sparked outrage across political lines.

“They’re taking everything they can get their hands on,” organizers wrote in promotional materials for Saturday’s event, “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.”

The nationwide demonstrations aim to send a clear message of dissent, organizers said.

“This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies,” organizers wrote. “Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop the chaos and build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.”

‘Make people feel effects and consequences’

Whether the protests will impact the administration remains to be seen, but large-scale protests can make a difference, Shortell said. The Tea Party movement in the late 2000s had big impacts on the Affordable Care Act, and the Occupy Movement from the 2010s helped spur the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

“They can be effective,” Shortell said. “But it depends on a lot of factors.”

One factor protestors are hoping to avoid is political violence and vandalism. Protests against Musk have had violent incidents across the country. In Tigard, a protestor shot at the dealership in two separate incidents, and in Salem, some Tesla vehicles were destroyed after a protestor allegedly threw Molotov cocktails.

Organizers for the Hands Off protests have said they are committed to keeping the event peaceful.

For more information on the protests, visit handsoff2025.com.

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The East Oregonian contributed to this report.