WATCH LIVE: No Kings march in D.C. on day of nationwide protests against the Trump administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — In protest of the country’s direction under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the United States for “No Kings” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party calls “hate-for-America” ​​rallies.

Watch the “No to Kings” protest in Washington, D.C., live in the video player above.

This is the third mass mobilization since Trump returned to the White House, and comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that is not only shutting down federal programs and services, but testing the fundamental balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.

He watches: Millions across the country are participating in “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration

Many protesters are particularly angry about attacks on their motivations to take to the streets. In Bethesda, Maryland, someone held up a sign that read, “Nothing is more patriotic than protest.”

In Washington, D.C., Brian Reiman carried a large American flag and said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was despicable.

“This is America,” Reiman said. “I don’t agree with their policies, but I don’t think they don’t love this country. I think they’re misguided. I think they’re power-hungry.” “The vilification of others that this country has now embraced – it is sad, pathetic and terrifying.”

Trump himself is away from Washington at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

Trump said in a Fox News interview that aired early Friday, before leaving to attend a MAGA Inc. fundraiser. $1 million per painting at Mar-a-Lago: “They say they refer to me as a king. I’m not a king.” Protests are expected nearby on Saturday.

More than 2,600 marches are scheduled for Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.

A growing opposition movement

While previous protests this year — against Elon Musk’s cuts in the spring, then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats, such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, are joining what organizers see as an antidote to Trump’s actions, from the administration’s suppression of free speech to its military raids on immigration.

“There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than the power of the national people,” said Ezra Levin, one of Indivisible’s co-founders and a key organizer.

Before noon, several thousand people gathered in New York City’s Times Square, chanting “Trump must go now” and waving signs, sometimes obscene, with slogans insulting the president and condemning his anti-immigration campaign. Some people were carrying American flags.

Retired family physician Terrence McCormally was headed to Arlington National Cemetery to join others Saturday morning and walk across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He thought the protests would be peaceful, but said the recent deployment of the National Guard has made him more wary of police than he was before.

“I really don’t like crooks, fraudsters and religious fanatics who try to use the country” for personal gain, “while they kill and hurt millions of people with bombs,” McCormally said.

Rallies were held in major European cities, where gatherings of a few hundred Americans chanted slogans and carried American banners and flags.

Republicans condemn “hate America” ​​rallies

Republicans sought to portray participants in Saturday’s marches as outside the scope of American politics, and a major reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

From the White House to Capitol Hill, Republican Party leaders disparaged the demonstration participants, calling them “communists” and “Marxists.”

They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far left wing and are willing to keep the government closed to appease those liberal forces.

“I encourage you to watch what we are calling the America Hate March, which will happen on Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles.

“Let’s see who shows up for it,” Johnson said, referring to groups that include “Antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”

In a Facebook post, former presidential candidate Sanders said: “It’s a love march for America.”

“It is a gathering of millions of people across this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom, and they will not allow you and Donald Trump to turn this country into a totalitarian society,” he said, referring to the GOP leadership.

Democrats are trying to regain their position

Democrats have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand health care funding. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue later, only after the government reopens.

But for many Democrats, shutting down the government is also a way to stand up to Trump and try to restore the presidency to its place in the American system as a co-equal branch of government.

The situation represents a potential shift from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided, desperate, and unsure of how best to respond to Trump’s return to the White House. Schumer in particular has been rebuked by his party for allowing a previous government funding bill to pass through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

In April, the national march against Trump and Elon Musk had 1,300 registered sites. In June, the first No Kings Day, there were 2,100 registered sites.

“What we’re seeing from Democrats is just the backbone,” Levin said. “The worst thing Democrats can do now is give up.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was unsure whether he would join the protesters on Saturday, but he took issue with Republicans’ characterization of events.

“What is abhorrent is what happened on January 6,” he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, in which Trump supporters stormed the building to protest Joe Biden’s election victory. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like.”

Associated Press writers Gary Fields, Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking and Chris Megerian in Washington, and Safiya Riddell in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.