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Opponents of the president’s agenda are simultaneously rallying in hundreds of cities nationwide at “No Kings” protests following days of nationwide demonstrations against federal immigration raids, including in Los Angeles, where Trump deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

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Trump arrives at parade stands

The president and first lady Melania Trump have arrived at the stands where they will review the Army parade.

Trump waves and pumps his fist to the crowd, who cheer and chant “USA!, USA!”

In addition to the military branch’s birthday, Saturday is also Trump’s birthday. The Army is turning 250, while the president is now 79.

It’s now raining along the parade route

Raindrops have begun to fall as the Army birthday parade prepares to kick off.

Trump left the White House nearly 45 minutes earlier than originally expected, and is on his way to the reviewing area.

Larry Stallard, a retired American Airlines pilot who turns 83 next month, traveled from Kansas City for the weekend “to see the military and see Trump.”

Forecasters warn of ‘damaging wind gusts’ during parade

In addition to the flood watch in place until 11 p.m. ET, the National Weather Service says that gusting winds could roll through the Washington area.

The White House has said that the parade goes on rain or shine, but lightning could bring things to a halt.

Hours ahead of the parade, crowds of protesters with anti-Trump signs marched toward the White House, escorted by police vehicles and officers on bicycles. Some held a giant banner that read: “TRUMP MUST GO NOW.”

The parade was added just a few weeks ago to the planned celebration of the Army’s birthday and has drawn criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army took  to protect the streets, including laying metal plates along the route.

About 6 in 10 Americans said Saturday’s parade was “not a good use” of government money. The vast majority of people, 78%, said they neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from .

The daylong display of America’s Army comes as Trump showed willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other U.S. presidents typically avoided, inviting an  and accusations that he is politicizing the military. In the past week, he activated the  and dispatched the U.S. Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments.

This past week, Trump also raised eyebrows during a  when members of the 82nd Airborne Division, who were directed to stand behind Trump, booed and , including condemnation of his predecessor, Joe Biden. There also was a pop-up “Make America Great Again” merchandise stand nearby selling souvenirs to troops in uniform.

The Defense Department has a doctrine that prohibits troops from participating in political activity while in uniform. Members of Congress and military leaders expressed concerns about the political displays during the speech at Fort Bragg.

Parade set to start at 6:30 p.m. Eastern

Saturday’s parade was expected to include about 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters and 60-ton , as well as  and heightened security to match.

The parade will wind down Constitution Avenue, lined with security fencing and barriers. Army helicopters and aircraft will fly above, and the march will be capped off by a parachute jump, a concert featuring “God Bless the U.S.A.” singer Lee Greenwood and fireworks.

It remained unclear whether protests would disrupt the parade, though several hundred demonstrators assembled in the hours before. Officials said they had no indication of a security threat.

 — organizers picked the name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration —  — were meant to counter what organizers say are Trump’s plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday and Flag Day.

Ahead of a rally and march toward the White House on Saturday afternoon, about 200 protesters assembled in northwest Washington’s Logan Circle and handed out signs and danced to upbeat music from a local street band, including “This Land Is Your Land.”

The mood was celebratory as the group chanted “Trump must go now” before erupting in cheers.

A larger-than-life puppet of Trump — a caricature of the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet — was wheeled through the crowd.

Other protesters waved pride flags and hoisted signs, some with pointed messages such as “I prefer crushed ICE,” referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Other messages were: “The invasion was HERE Jan. 6th, NOT in L.A.” and “Flip me off if you’re a FASCIST."

With rain expected, there was a chance the parade could be interrupted by thunderstorms.

The Army expects as many as 200,000 people could attend the festival and parade.

The parade is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT, but parts of it — including the horse-drawn caissons and other units — start at the Pentagon, head over a bridge and meet up with some of the heavier tanks and equipment. Officials did not want the more-than-60-ton M1A1 Abrams tanks and Stryker vehicles crossing the bridge.

Timed down to the minute, the march will be divided into sections by history — with equipment and troops in full dress from each period.

It will include a total of 6,169 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery, while 62 aircraft fly overhead.

At the end of the parade, Trump will swear in 250 new or reenlisting troops, and the Army's Golden Knights parachute team will jump onto the Mall. That will be followed by a concert and fireworks.

Protesters gather in cities across the United States

Atlanta’s 5,000-capacity  quickly reached its limit, with thousands more demonstrators outside the barrier in front of the state Capitol and a handful of counterprotesters leaving before the rally finished.

Intermittent light rain fell as sign-carrying marchers gathered for the flagship rally in Philadelphia's Love Park, where a woman wearing a foam Statue of Liberty crown brought a speaker system and led an anti-Trump singalong, changing the words “young man” in the song “Y.M.C.A.” to “con man.”

Karen Van Trieste, a 61-year-old nurse who drove up from Maryland, said she grew up in Philadelphia and wanted to be with a large group of people showing her support.

“I just feel like we need to defend our democracy,” she said. She is concerned about the Trump administration's layoffs of staff at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fate of immigrant communities and the Trump administration trying to rule by executive order, she said.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, crowds cheered anti-Trump speakers and chanted “we have no kings” while people started to gather in front of Los Angeles City Hall, many carrying American flags as a drum circle began.

Protests are planned in  across the country, from city blocks and small towns to courthouse steps and community parks, organizers said, but no events are scheduled in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will take place in the evening.

The 50501 Movement orchestrating the protests says it picked the “No Kings” name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.The name 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, one movement.

The demonstrations come on the heels of protests that flared up across the country over federal  that began last week and Trump  and Marines to Los Angeles, where protesters blocked a freeway and set cars on fire.

Governors urge calm, some call out the National Guard

Governors and city officials vowed to protect the right to protest and to show no tolerance for violence.

Republican governors in Virginia, Texas, Nebraska and Missouri are  to help law enforcement manage demonstrations.

There will be “zero tolerance” for violence, destruction or disrupting traffic, and “if you violate the law, you’re going to be arrested,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told reporters Friday.

In Missouri, Gov. Mike Kehoe issued a similar message, vowing to take a proactive approach and not to “wait for chaos to ensue.”

Nebraska’s governor also signed an emergency proclamation Friday to activate his state’s National Guard, a step his office called “a precautionary measure in reaction to recent instances of civil unrest across the country.”

 that one march will go to the gates of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis warned demonstrators that the “line is very clear” and not to cross it.

Organizers canceled all “No Kings” protests in Minnesota after two state lawmakers and their spouses were shot early Saturday.

Some law enforcement agencies announced they were ramping up efforts for the weekend. In California, state troopers will be on “tactical alert,” which means all days off are canceled for all officers, while West Virginia’s governor put the state police and National Guard on standby.

On social media, Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, called for peaceful protests over the weekend, to ensure Trump doesn’t send military to the state.

“Donald Trump wants to be able to say that we cannot handle our own public safety in Washington state,” Ferguson said.

In a statement Friday, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, urged protesters “to remain peaceful and calm as they exercise their First Amendment right to make their voices heard.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said his administration and state police are working with police in Philadelphia ahead of what organizers estimate could be a crowd approaching 100,000 people.

Philadelphia’s top prosecutor, District Attorney Larry Krasner, warned that anyone coming to Philadelphia to break the law or immigration agents exceeding their authority will face arrest. He invoked civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. as a guide for demonstrators.

“If you are doing what Martin Luther King would have done, you’re going to be fine,” Krasner told a news conference.

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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Michelle L. Price, Nathan Ellgren, Lea Skene, Olivia Diaz, Joey Cappelletti, Ashraf Khalil and Tara Copp contributed to this report.