(CNN) - There were a lot of political fireworks over the weekend ahead of Independence Day.
President Donald Trump met with veterans thanking them for their service, while in cities across the country protesters called for his removal from office.
Trump was front-and-center at the Celebrate Freedom event in Washington DC Saturday.
"For my very first Independence Day celebration as president, there is no place I'd rather be than with you, I'll tell you that," he said.
Fewer than 24 hours later, protesters in a number of cities were calling for Trump to be removed from office.
One such protest was in Las Vegas outside the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse. Another rally was held right outside of Trump's namesake hotel in New York City.
Protesters also made their presence seen and heard in Sacramento.
"I certainly think there's enough to have the impeachment trial and then it would have to be determined if he's found guilty," one protester said.
One person who attended Sunday's rally defended Trump.
"I mean, God bless these people for coming out and expressing their emotions, I just tend to disagree. So I'm just out here and I'm glad they're not giving me any problems," he said.
The president meanwhile, had a 30-minute talk with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe late Sunday night. A Japanese foreign ministry official told CNN the two leaders confirmed they plan to increase pressure on North Korea with South Korea's cooperation.
On Thursday, Trump will be in Hamburg, Germany for the G-20 summit, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will be a highly scrutinized first meeting for the two leaders.
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