'Hands Off!' rallies on Long Island draw thousands of protesters

Thousands of Long Islanders braved the rain to rail against President Donald Trump and his policies at demonstrations Saturday, part of a nationwide movement of protests planned in all 50 states.

Several so-called "Hands Off!" events were held on the Island, including at the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola and in Patchogue, Port Jefferson Station and Sag Harbor. Protesters' concerns ranged from cuts to veteran services and the federal Education Department to the recent stock market turmoil sparked by tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

“Everything we care about is under attack,” said Rachel Klein, head of the advocacy group Engage Long Island. “Now is the time to show up.”

More than 53% of voters in Nassau and Suffolk counties voted for Trump in 2024, and in winning Nassau he became the first Republican presidential candidate to take the county since 1988, Newsday has reported.

But on Saturday, Klein said more than 2,300 people registered for the Mineola rally, and others attended without signing up. More than 2,000 people participated in a protest outside Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino’s office in Patchogue.

The response on Long Island, said Klein, was indicative of people “sounding the alarm about the United States.”

Suffolk GOP chair Jesse Garcia, in a phone interview with Newsday on Friday, said the nationwide rallies are “the continuation of the far left Democrats to protest, to yell, to scream, to dance, to sing without offering any solutions.”

He added, “They are protesting what is nothing more than the Trump administration rooting out waste, fraud and abuse."

Officials for the New York State and Nassau County GOP did not return requests for comment.

Asked about the protests, which were organized by groups such as Indivisible and MoveOn, White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston wrote in an emailed statement to Newsday, "President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”

Mineola, Patchogue protests

At the Mineola rally Saturday afternoon, protesters voiced opposition to Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, an adviser who has played a significant role in the federal government downsizing through his role at the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.

In a tongue-in-cheek nod at the acronym for Musk’s department, one protester held a sign reading, “Department of Greedy Elites.” Other signs read, “Resist, Persist, Insist” and “Defend our Democracy.”

Rick Debobes, 70, of Bellmore, an Air Force veteran who said he served from 1976 to 1980, called Trump’s actions to cut veteran services “a sin.”

Dolores Sharpe, 64, of Queens, said she was concerned about the government’s cuts to the federal Department of Education and the elimination of federal positions “without any forewarning.”

Mary-Anne Trasciatti, the director of labor studies at Hofstra University, also expressed concern over cuts to the federal government. The Long Beach resident, 61, said the country “can’t afford to lose the services” provided by thousands of recently fired government workers.

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) and Rep. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) attended the Mineola rally.

At a separate demonstration in Patchogue, protesters waved signs in the rain and chanted, "Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go."

Melanie Dipalma, 29, of Melville, was among the crowd. “I think the dismantling of our democracy is terrifying,” she said. “I think we need to come together, no matter what side of the aisle you are on.”

Lauraine Kindler, 66, of Sayville, said she was “angry and scared. He’s just wrecking the country. It’s just a wrecking ball."

With Bart Jones and Laura Figueroa Hernandez

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ