Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation`s capital and communities across the U.S. for " No Kings " demonstrations - what the president`s Republican Party is calling "Hate America" rallies.

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

Many protesters were especially angered by attacks on their motives. In Bethesda, Maryland, one held a sign that read "Nothing is more patriotic than protesting."

In nearby Washington, Brian Reymann carried a large American flag and said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was "pathetic."

"This Is America. I disagree with their politics, but I don`t believe that they don`t love this country. I believe they are misguided. I think they are power hungry," Reymann said.

Trump himself is spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

"They say they`re referring to me as a king. I`m not a king," Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday, before he departed for a $1 million-per-plate MAGA Inc. fundraiser at his club. Protests are expected nearby Saturday.

More than 2,600 rallies are planned Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.

While the earlier protests this year - against Elon Musk`s cuts this spring and Trump`s June military parade - drew crowds, organizers say this one is uniting the opposition. Top Democrats such as Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump`s actions, from the administration`s clampdown on free speech to its military-style immigration raids.

"There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power," said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.

Before noon, several thousand people had gathered in New York City`s Times Square, chanting "Trump must go now," and waving sometimes-profane signs with slogans insulting the president and condemning his immigration crackdown. Some people carried American flags.

Retired family doctor Terence McCormally was heading to Arlington National Cemetery to join others walking across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He said the recent deployment of the National Guard made him more wary of police than in the past.

"I really don`t like the crooks and conmen and religious zealots who are trying to use the country" for personal gain, McCormally said, "while they are killing and hurting millions of people with bombs."

Americans abroad held smaller rallies in major European cities, waving U.S. flags and chanting slogans.

Republicans have sought to portray Saturday`s protesters as far outside the mainstream and a prime reason for the government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as "communists" and "Marxists." They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.

"I encourage you to watch - we call it the Hate America rally - that will happen Saturday," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

"Let`s see who shows up for that," Johnson said, listing groups including "antifa types," people who "hate capitalism" and "Marxists in full display."

In a Facebook post, former presidential contender Sanders countered that, "It`s a love America rally."

"It`s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and," he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, "are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society."

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

But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump, and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a co-equal branch of government.

The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump`s return to the White House. Schumer in particular was berated by his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

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

"What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine," Levin said. "The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender."