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Tanks roll through Washington as Trump hosts US military parade Trump holds military parade in Washington as millions protest
(about 2 hours later)
US president appears on bandstand, where crowd, dotted with Maga hats, spontaneously sings Happy Birthday Thousands of soldiers, along with tanks and helicopters, march through National Mall on day president turned 79
US politics live – latest updates Donald Trump finally got his wish to hold a military parade in Washington DC on Saturday, after thousands of soldiers accompanied by tanks, aircraft and helicopters marched through the National Mall in a celebration of the army’s 250th birthday, while across the country, millions of people protested against his administration.
Thousands of troops accompanied by dozens of tanks and aircraft traveled down the planned route through the National Mall in Washington for a military parade billed as celebrating the US army’s 250th birthday on Saturday – which also happened to be the day Donald Trump turned 79. It was the first military parade in the nation’s capital since 1991 – which celebrated the end of the Gulf war – and took place on the day Trump turned 79. The president had tried and failed to hold such an event during his first term, but made it happen just months into his second, albeit at what wound up being an especially tense moment for the country.
The parade started 30 minutes early to avoid a downpour. Trump appeared on the bandstand before things kicked off, to raucous cheers of “USA! USA”, and the crowd, dotted with Maga hats, spontaneously sang Happy Birthday. A cannon fired as the parade begin. On Saturday, millions of protesters took to the streets of towns and cities nationwide to condemn the president in a wave of demonstrations dubbed “No Kings”. In Los Angeles, federalized national guard troops and US marines ordered there by Trump to protect immigration agents several days ago remained on the streets over the objection of local leaders, and again faced off with protesters.
The rest of the parade happened without any unplanned fanfare and brief remarks from the president and vice-president. And the day began with news that a Democratic state representative and her husband had been killed in Minnesota, in what the governor said “appears to be a politically motivated assassination”. Another Democratic state senator and his wife were shot, but both are expected to survive, while the assailant remains at large.
“We love you, we honor you, and we solute your noble service to our flag and our country,” Trump said to the military personnel in attendance. “Today we commemorate an event that did not just change American history but changed the history of the entire world. Within the heavily fortified National Mall on Saturday afternoon, there were scant signs of those brewing crises. The president arrived to cheers and chants of “We love Trump!”, taking a seat on a reviewing stand next to defense secretary Pete Hegseth and first lady Melania Trump. The event began 30 minutes late to avoid a downpour that never quite arrived.
The president has long desired to hold a military parade in the capital, and finally got his wish months after returning to the White House for a second term, and days after ordering federalized California national guard troops and US marines to the streets of Los Angeles in response to protests against deportations. When he spoke, Trump refrained from injecting the partisan politics and insults he does into just about every other speech, including when addressing army soldiers earlier this week. His tone was instead patriotic, with Trump saying: “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too. That’s what we’re doing tonight.”
Washington DC briefly became the second American city to see soldiers in its streets, albeit for markedly different reasons. While there was no shortage of the president’s faithful in the crowd of tens of thousands, also others were drawn out of curiosity, or to condemn Trump in what amounted to hostile territory.
“I think it’s time for us to celebrate a little bit. You know, we’ve had a lot of victories,” Trump said earlier this week. He has denied any connection between the parade and his birthday, instead noting that it coincides with the Flag Day holiday. “We’re supporting him and the military,” said Dan Funk, 68, who flew in from Nebraska to see their son-in-law march in the parade.
Hours before the parade was to start, about 300 people marched to the White House in protest of Donald Trump’s policies. “Lot of patriots. Lots of people who are happy Trump’s in office. I love it,” said his wife, Deb Funk, 61. “We need some patriotism in our country. There’s too much garbage going on.”
The demonstration, planned by the group Refuse Fascism, was separate from the No Kings protests being organized nationwide, which did not plan an event in the capital. Pat Douglas strolled down the National Mall in a desert camouflage tunic he wore during his 24 years in the army, on which he had pinned the purple heart and three bronze stars he was awarded for his service.
The protesters were escorted by police through downtown Washington, chanting: “Fascist America, we say no! Now’s the time for Trump to go!” They carried signs reading: “No to Trump’s fascist military parade” and “If you don’t want criminals in the country, don’t elect them!” “It’s a good thing,” the 65-year-old said of the parade. “This is what brought us here. 250 years, it’s something that still needs to be defended and supported.” And while some Democrats have accused Trump of using the parade to celebrate his birthday, Douglas said, “This has got nothing to do with the president.”
Army veteran Chris Yeazel was among the protesters, and said he came out in reaction to Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles, and his speech to army soldiers at Fort Bragg, which has been criticized for its partisan tone. Many others in the crowd came down just to enjoy the show, which featured the army’s Golden Knights parachute team landing on the White House lawn, an enlistment ceremony presided over by Trump and a fireworks display.
“America does not do military parades like this,” said Yeazel, 40, who served in Iraq. A Peruvian who was working in Washington DC said he came by to better understand American culture. Yassine Ahssini, a Moroccan who moved to the United States three-and-a-half years ago after being picked for a diversity visa, was drawn by the fact that no such parade had been held for 34 years.
“It’s just something you don’t see every day,” he said.
Yet it’s also an event that city leaders and residents, who are used to seeing their streets and monuments taken over for political events, only grudgingly welcomed. The federal district is strongly Democratic, and its non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives, Eleanor Holmes Norton, denounced the event on Friday, saying: “President Trump’s longstanding wish to waste millions of taxpayer dollars for a performative military parade in the style of authoritarian leaders is finally coming true on his birthday.”
Coming at a cost the army estimates to be between $25m and $45m, the parade’s preparations have caused the closure of busy roads for up to four days, while flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport were halted during the event.
City leaders expressed concerns that the tanks and armored vehicles will damage roads not designed for their weight, prompting the army to place metal plates on parts of the route, and outfit the equipment with rubber on their treads.
“No Kings” did not plan a protest in the city. But a different group called Refuse Fascism organized a protest earlier on Saturday that saw 300 people march to the White House, chanting “Fascist America, we say no! Now’s the time for Trump to go!”.
“America does not do military parades like this,” said Chris Yeazel, a 40-year-old army veteran, who served in Iraq and took part in the march.
“Everything is just authoritarianism. He’s try to create chaos and become a dictator.”“Everything is just authoritarianism. He’s try to create chaos and become a dictator.”
Of the decision to hold the protest, he said: “This is the nation’s capital. This is exactly where we need to protest.” Small groups of protesters came into the event, quietly sitting on the grass holding signs that read “No Kings”, or criticizing the money spent on the parade, while enduring sporadic insults from the crowd. Four high schoolers from Washington DC walked in wearing white undershirts that read “I ♥ USA” on the front, and “Fuck Trump” on the back.
While Washington DC is used to playing host to an array of events in and around the National Mall and White House, the parade has proven to be particularly disruptive to day-to-day life in the overwhelmingly Democratic city of more than 700,000. As the crowd filtered out, one man spotted the group and said, “love the front, hate the back”, before handing them a sticker for the Proud Boys militia group.
Coming at a cost the army estimates to be between $25m and $45m, the parade’s preparations have caused the closure of busy roads for up to four days, while flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport will halt for an unspecified time during the event. “This is where we’re from, and we want to show that this isn’t okay for anyone to do, especially the president,” said Ethan Hettenback, 16.
City leaders have expressed concerns that the tanks and armored vehicles will damage roads not designed for their weight, and the army has said they will place metal plates on parts of the route, and outfit the equipment with rubber on their treads. “We need to show people that, like, no matter how many pro-Trump people come into this, there’s always going to be people who believe it’s not right.”
“President Trump’s longstanding wish to waste millions of taxpayer dollars for a performative military parade in the style of authoritarian leaders is finally coming true on his birthday,” said Eleanor Holmes Norton, the federal district’s Democratic non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives. She condemned the event’s expected impact on the city’s roads, as well as the decision to hold it after Trump’s administration spent months firing federal workers or coaxing them to resign.
“Although this parade will feed President Trump’s ego and perhaps his base, it will not serve any legitimate purpose,” Holmes Norton said.