Pikachu, New Face Of Resistance, Makes Washington Cameo After Turkey

Among throngs of protesters marching through Washington's streets on Saturday, there was one figure that instantly stood out - not for a rousing speech or a provocative sign, but for a bright yellow costume with red cheeks and pointy ears.

A protester dressed as Pikachu, the Pokemon character, had joined the national uprising against US President Donald Trump and his top adviser Elon Musk. This came days after a similarly costumed protester was seen in Turkey, where they were seen darting away from riot police amid chaos over the arrest of opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu.

Videos of the costumed character have been going viral on social media, with users across platforms sharing clips of the yellow Pokemon weaving through crowds.

GIANT PIKACHU spotted at anti-Trump protest in Washington DC. pic.twitter.com/iUcyiQpLTF — Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) April 5, 2025

Saturday marked the largest day of demonstrations yet since Trump returned to office, with more than 1,200 coordinated "Hands Off!" rallies sweeping across all 50 states. From Anchorage to Miami, from the shadow of the Space Needle in Seattle to Pershing Square in Los Angeles, demonstrators flooded streets to oppose what they see as an administration determined to dismantle the American government as they know it.

Signs reading "Hands off our democracy" and "Hands off our Social Security" were raised high across cities.

Thousands turned out in Midtown Manhattan. In Portland, chants rang through downtown. And in Washington, DC, speakers rallied the crowd at the National Mall - including activist Graylan Hagler, who declared, "They've woken up a sleeping giant, and they haven't seen nothing yet," as per an AFP.

Protesters called out sweeping layoffs of federal workers, the closing of Social Security offices, the gutting of health programs, the deportation of immigrants, and the rolling back of protections for LGBTQ+ Americans.

Anger was directed not just at Trump, but at Elon Musk, who now heads the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency and a key figure in the administration's push for deep downsizing. Musk, who also heads Tesla, SpaceX, and X, claims the cuts are saving taxpayers billions. Critics say they are stripping America down to its bones.

At the Washington rally, Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said, "The attacks that we're seeing, they're not just political. They are personal, y'all," as per Associated Press. "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 ended with, "We don't want this America, y'all. We want the America we deserve, where dignity, safety and freedom belong not to some of us, but to all of us."

Asked about the protests, the White House responded in a statement, "President Trump's position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries," as per AP.

"Meanwhile, the Democrats' stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors."

In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu addressed the crowd, vowing not to raise her children in a country where intimidation replaces leadership and diversity is cast as a threat.