TENS of thousands of people took to the streets across the United States on Saturday to protest at how President Donald Trump is running the country.

It was the biggest day of demonstrations to date against the far-right president and his allies such as billionaire business tycoon Elon Musk.

With the slogan Hands Off! protests were held in more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organisations, trade unions, LBGT+ advocates, veterans and election activists. 

The protests condemned the Trump administration’s actions on government cuts, the economy, immigration and human rights. 

On the west coast, in the shadow of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, protesters held signs with slogans such as “Fight the oligarchy.”

Demonstrators chanted as they took to the streets in Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles, where they marched from Pershing Square to City Hall.

They voiced anger at the administration’s moves to sack thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively axe entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut funding for health programmes.

Mr Musk, who runs Tesla, Space X and the X social media platform, is a a key adviser to Mr Trump and has played a key role as the head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, which has spearheaded many cuts.

The White House responded to the protests by saying: “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 programmes and crush American seniors.”

Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson criticised the administration’s treatment of the LBGT+ community at a rally at the National Mall in Washington where Democratic members of Congress also took the stage.

“They’re trying to ban our books, they’re slashing HIV prevention funding, they’re criminalising our doctors, our teachers, our families and our lives,” she said.

Hundreds of people also demonstrated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a few miles from Mr Trump’s golf course in Jupiter, where he spent the morning at the club’s Senior Club Championship. 

“They need to keep their hands off of our social security,” said Archer Moran of Port St Lucie, Florida.

Mr Trump appeared to be indifferent to the protests. The White House said the president had played golf in Florida on Saturday and planned to do so again yesterday.