Georgetown University students and graduates joined tens of thousands of protesters rallying against President Donald Trump’s administration at an April 5 protest on the National Mall.

Protesters crowded around the Washington Monument for over three hours carrying signs opposing Trump’s cuts to federal agencies, tariff policies and deportation efforts. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) headlined the rally, which featured other Democratic politicians, federal employees and union leaders urging attendees to speak out against the Trump administration.

During his speech at the rally, Raskin said Trump threatens the United States’ commitment to democracy.

“Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’” Raskin said to the crowd. “The preamble says ‘We the people.’ No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Sara Holler (CAS ’28), who attended the rally, said she hoped her participation would demonstrate how the public can take a stand against the Trump administration.

“Every single person who shows up and just stands there makes a difference,” Holler told The Hoya. “When people walk by and feel that power and see that there’s so many people doing so many different things, then they see that they can have a role in this too. They can have a role in changing our government.”

Terri Merz (GRD ’16), another rally attendee, described Trump as a “tyrant” and said Georgetown’s Jesuit values encouraged her to protest his policies.

“What we learn from Georgetown University, a Jesuit school, is care for the whole body, the whole person,” Merz told The Hoya. “We have to be here. We have to speak out.”

According to the organizers, the rally in Washington, D.C., was part of a national movement of more than 1,200 “Hands Off” rallies across all 50 states and globally that aimed to assemble cohesive opposition to Trump and drew millions of supporters.

Holler said the rally’s ties to other marches inspired her because it displayed the solidarity of activists nationwide, even across different movements.

“There’s just so many issues that people are showing up for and that resonate with each person individually,” Holler said. “Seeing that collective come together and show that it’s not just a rally for the climate or for trans rights or anything, but it’s a rally for our future as a whole.”

“They’re all showing up together, and it was really powerful to just look out and see how many people there were,” Holler added. “They can’t stop us from showing up and showing our support for each other and for the country.”

Jenna Bogda (CAS ’28), another student protester, said she had never joined a protest before but felt like she needed to speak out.

“One of the most dangerous things that could happen is people just going quiet and rolling over to the administration,” Bogda told The Hoya. “This demonstration, not just in D.C. but across the entire country, shows that people are not going to accept the oligarchs.”

Protesters including Heather Martin, of Albany, N.Y., travelled across the country to join the Washington, D.C. protest.

Martin said she drove the six hours to the District because she wanted to find a community and solidarity in what she called a historic moment.

“I wanted to be here because I knew it would be historical,” Martin told The Hoya. “I just can’t stand for what’s happening. I feel like I have to do something. I feel alone, and this makes me feel a little sense of togetherness.”

Diane Greene, who traveled from northern Virginia to participate in the rally, said she hopes the rally exposes what she sees as an undemocratic concentration of wealth and power.

“When our society values nothing but the greed and the enrichment of the top 1% at the expense of the 99% on the bottom — when people cannot work a 40-hour job, and feed themselves and their family — something is wrong,” Greene told The Hoya. “We must speak out against the wrecking ball that’s being put to our democracy, to our Constitution, to checks and balances.”

Rallygoers cited specific policy moves, including the federal detainment of Georgetown postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri, as reasons for joining the protest.

Marvin Wiley (GRD ’20), a Georgetown graduate and federal employee, said he joined the rally because he believes the Trump administration is undermining democracy.

“It’s an attack on democracy, what they’re doing,” Wiley told The Hoya. “We have people being disappeared from the streets — we have scholars from Georgetown being disappeared. It’s important to show up today and shine a light on the injustices that are happening before it’s too late.”

Federal immigration officials detained Khan Suri on March 17 for allegedly posting “Hamas propaganda” on social media, though the government has not yet publicly substantiated these claims. 

Wiley said the Trump administration’s actions are unpatriotic and undemocratic.

“It’s important to me because I want to have a future,” Wiley said. “Students, whether Georgetown or other universities, should have a future. This isn’t American, what’s happening now. It’s very un-American and it’s dangerous.”

Martin said she protested for her son’s safety and to protect against the hate she said Trump’s rhetoric fosters. 

“We have to speak out against the hate that he represents and he emboldens,” Martin said. “We talk about the groceries, about the economy, but for me, it’s about the people. For me, it’s about equal rights, and it’s about making sure that my child, who’s 18 years old and a Black man, is welcomed in the United States.”

Greene said she hoped the unity and solidarity attendees showed would inspire other movements nationwide.

“I hope that this inspires people to see that everyday Americans just like them are protesting, and that they can speak up,” Greene said. “The time to do that is now, before it’s too late.”

Bogda said the rally was an opportunity for ordinary people to come together against the federal government’s actions.

“It was a show of strength that we’re not backing down and we’re not going to be quiet about this,” Bogda said. “There’s so much to say, there’s so much to stand up for, and this shows that it’s not only the senators in office but it’s people all over the country that are standing up against it.”

Michael Scime contributed to reporting.