'No Kings' protests against Trump rock American cities

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

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They rallied with signs like "Nothing is more patriotic than protesting" or "Resist Fascism," and in many places it looked more like a street party. There were marching bands, a huge banner with the US Constitution's "We The People," preamble that people could sign, and protesters in frog costumes, which have emerged as a sign of resistance in Portland, Oregon.

This is the third mass mobilisation 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 organisers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.

Demonstrators packed places like New York City's Times Square, the historic Boston Commons, Chicago's Grant Park, Washington, DC, and hundreds of smaller public spaces.

Many protesters were especially angered by attacks on their motives.

In Washington, Brian Reymann said being called a terrorist all week by Republicans was "pathetic."