NO Kings! I can't go to the protest but I support it.

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Crowds gathered Saturday in cities across the United States — and overseas — for No Kings rallies in protest of President Donald Trump’s administration and to call for the defense of First Amendment rights.

Protesters from Los Angeles to New York — including in Chicago, Washington, D.C, and Austin, Texas — flooded into streets chanting, marching and waving homemade signs, including some that proclaimed “We want all of the government to work” and “Make America Good Again.”

Organizers said nearly 7 million people turned out Saturday to more than 2,700 No Kings protests across the U.S. — 2 million more than at the previous round of rallies in June.

Speeches were shared, music blared, and some donned Halloween costume in the cross-country rallies that demanded the protection of Constitutional rights, which they say is under attack by the Trump administration.

Politicians joined the rallies encouraging people to fight for democracy.

In Washington D.C., Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Chris Murphy of Connecticut spoke. Bill Nye, the beloved children’s show host, also gave a speech slamming Trump and his cabinet for failing to accept “basic scientific facts.”

“They do not promote the progress of science. They suppress it, to the detriment of our health, well being, and international competitiveness,” he said. “It is a formula for failure.”

Fired U.S. Agency for International Development workers also joined the No Kings rally at the capital, including Amanda Nature.

Nature, 41, of Washington told NBC News: “The common adage is that 50% of the country voted for this. But 50% of the country didn’t vote for a government shutdown and the dismantlement of the government and services that people rely on.”

In Santa Monica, California, former second gentleman Doug Emhoff shared a photo of himself with his son Cole at the No Kings protest.

In Chicago — where high-profile clashes between residents and federal immigration authorities have unfolded in recent weeks — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker shared a defiant speech.

He called out Trump and Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller for “coming for the immigrants, and for Black and brown people, and for LGBTQ people and for their political opponents.”

“History will judge us by where we choose to stand right now, today. Future generations will ask: ‘What did we do when fellow human beings faced persecution? When our rights were being abridged? When our Constitution was under attack?’” Pritzker asked. “They’ll want to know whether we stood up or we stayed silent.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren addressed thousands at the Boston Common, saying: “Standing up to a wannabe dictator? That is patriotism. Peacefully protesting to protect our democracy? That is patriotism!”

Overall, the protests have been peaceful, though some leaders, including in Texas, have said they would mobilize the National Guard to monitor for potential unrest.

I went. I had no excuse, the protest was right across the street and it's a beautiful day. Mike Johnson said it is a "Hate America" protest. We had a funny way of showing it. Many, many American flags and singing "God Bless America" . MAGAs did try to disrupt it. They had a caravan of cars that they drove by a few times. They rigged their horns to be really loud. The vast majority of cars that drove by honked in support.

The downside is that half the crowd was baby boomers, and a lot of the chants dated back to the 60s.

The best sign I read said, "Things must be really bad if I'm here". That completely resonated with me. That sign is going to be the lasting memory of this day for me.

I was at the Huntington No-Kings rally. We had a convoy of trucks go by with counter protesters. The biggest truck had a painfully loud horn. There was also a limo that was mimicking the presidential limo, I suppose. Do you think it was the same vehicles?

The best sign I read said, "Things must be really bad if I'm here". That completely resonated with me. That sign is going to be the lasting memory of this day for me.

At the Hartford rally there was also a similar sign that read something like "You know things are really bad if even introverts have to come" and I loved it. I would have gotten a picture of it, but they were too far away up in the crowd.

The Trump meme presidency continued to (t)roll down the highway on Monday (Oct. 20) when the White House responded to a request for comment about Kenny Loggins‘ demand that officials remove an unauthorized use of one of his biggest hits in an offensive AI-generated video.

In a statement on his Instagram on Monday, the singer slammed Trump’s use of his 1986 Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 Top Gun hit “Danger Zone” in a clip posted on Oct. 18 featuring an AI Trump, wearing a crown, flying a “King Trump”-labeled fighter jet and dumping what appears to be torrents of human excrement on protesters at the massive “No Kings” rallies on Saturday.

“I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately,” Loggins wrote of what he called the completely “unauthorized” use of the song, adding that he was not asked for permission, and if he had been, he would have denied. “I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together.”

The deployment of the scatological clip by the 79-year-old president is the latest example of the White House’s use of artificial intelligence to create memes intended to troll their perceived enemies.

Loggins joins a long list of musicians who have lashed out at Trump for using their music without permission in his campaign and White House videos. Just recently, the members of Blue Öyster Cult distanced themselves from the president after “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” was used in an AI clip that mocked Democrats via a fake band video featuring VP JD Vance on drums and a cloaked Trump hitting a cowbell while new lyrics scroll across the screen trolling Democrats.

Since his first presidential term, Trump has been called out by number of songwriters and performers for unauthorized use of their music at his rallies, in ads and in political attack messaging, including Adele, Beyoncé, Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, the estates and families of Laura Branigan, George Harrison, Sinéad O’Connor and Tom Petty, as well as Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Pharrell, Rihanna, Neil Young, Ozzy Osbourne, the Rolling Stones, Panic! at the Disco and many more.