Protesters began gathering early on the west steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento as a so-called “No Kings” protest against Trump administration policies, part of a nationwide day of demonstrations meant to coincide with a military parade marking the 250th anniversary of the U.

More than 1,500 events were announced throughout the U.S. to send a loud message to President Donald Trump: “In America, we don’t do kings.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom picked at old wounds on social media and posted a doctored photo of Sean Spicer, President Trump’s first-term press secretary, and an image of sparse crowds on the National Mall for the parade.

Thousands of demonstrators expressed their feelings about the Trump administration through an array of colorful signs

The president deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in response to anti-ICE protests.

The parade, honoring the Army’s long-planned 250th anniversary celebration and coinciding with Trump’s 79th birthday, is set to step off from the Lincoln Memorial under the threat of stormy weather in Washington and protests around the country tied to a turbulent week of immigration enforcement that has involved military deployment in Los Angeles.

Police in Sonoma and Napa counties are preparing as North Bay protesters join a nationwide wave of No Kings Day rallies.

The protest comes before leaders vote on whether or not to pass a budget that is expected to lock new undocumented immigrants out of Medi-Cal.