Army Anniversary, Trump Parade Met with Nationwide Backlash \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ President Donald Trump celebrated his 79th birthday alongside the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary with a large-scale military parade in Washington. While supporters cheered the show of patriotism, nationwide protests erupted in opposition to what critics called a display of authoritarianism. Clashes in Los Angeles and Atlanta underscored the nation’s deepening political divides.
Quick Looks
- Parade marks Army’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 79th birthday
- Over 6,000 troops and 60 aircraft participated in D.C. spectacle
- Festival included tanks, historical reenactments, and skydivers
- Anti-Trump protests spread across cities like L.A., Atlanta, Charlotte
- Violent clashes erupted in LA; tear gas used in Atlanta
- Critics condemn event as fascist and politically self-serving
- Trump praises U.S. military in brief speech, hails Army’s legacy
- “No Kings” protests oppose Trump’s use of military and federal force
Deep Look
On Saturday, President Donald Trump turned 79 as the U.S. Army marked its 250th anniversary, and together they shared center stage in a spectacle that split public sentiment across the nation. What began as a grand military parade in Washington, D.C., intended to project strength and patriotism, evolved into a lightning rod for national tension — a physical manifestation of America’s cultural and political divide.
The parade unfolded along Constitution Avenue under overcast skies, where more than 6,000 soldiers marched in uniforms representing every era of American military history — from ragtag Revolutionary War garb to modern combat fatigues. Spectators watched as Sherman tanks and modern armored vehicles rolled past, followed by Vietnam-era helicopters and World War II aircraft soaring overhead. The Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s elite parachute team, released streams of red smoke as they descended in a dramatic early appearance, kicking off a celebration unlike anything Washington had seen in decades.
At the heart of it all stood President Trump, dressed in a dark suit, seated on a raised viewing platform flanked by military brass and dignitaries. With a backdrop of American flags and roaring engines, he addressed the crowd in a speech that was relatively brief by his standards. “There is no earthly force more powerful than the brave heart of the U.S. military,” he declared, referencing historic battles and praising the courage of Army Rangers and Green Berets. The speech capped off a moment that Trump had dreamed of since witnessing France’s Bastille Day military parade in 2017.
This parade, delayed for years and finally realized early in Trump’s second term, was folded into existing plans to honor the Army’s 250th birthday. But it bore all the hallmarks of a Trump-styled event — larger than life, polarizing, and defiantly patriotic. Vendors lined the National Mall selling Trump-branded merchandise alongside Army memorabilia. Country singers Warren Zeiders and Lee Greenwood performed, and fireworks later lit up the evening sky — though heavy storms canceled a planned Air Force flyover.
While the atmosphere inside the parade perimeter brimmed with nationalism and celebration, outside, across the country, a storm of another kind was brewing. Protests erupted from coast to coast under the “No Kings” banner, a grassroots movement decrying what activists call Trump’s authoritarian posturing and the militarization of American public life.
In Los Angeles, tensions boiled over into chaos. There, federalized National Guard troops and U.S. Marines, deployed on Trump’s orders to quell unrest related to immigration raids, confronted demonstrators in a scene more reminiscent of a military standoff than civilian protest. Police on horseback charged the crowd, firing tear gas and crowd control rounds at protestors who, witnesses said, were chanting peacefully before the confrontation. “We weren’t doing anything but standing around chanting,” said Samantha Edgerton, a 37-year-old bartender caught in the melee.
Atlanta saw similar scenes. Tear gas was deployed to redirect nonviolent demonstrators who attempted to reach Interstate 285. Protesters, many carrying flags or handmade signs, were driven back by police warnings, helicopters circling overhead. In Culpeper, Virginia, one protester was seriously injured when a driver intentionally accelerated into the crowd. These incidents stoked nationwide outrage, as civil liberties advocates raised alarm bells over the escalating use of force in response to civilian dissent.
Across the board, opposition voices focused on Trump’s use of military power not just as a backdrop to celebration but as a tool of governance. Critics argued that deploying federal troops to suppress protests and showcasing military might during a politically charged birthday event blurred constitutional boundaries.
Among the dissenters was Wind Euler, 62, a protester from Arizona who flew to Washington to voice her concern. “My father was a Marine in Iwo Jima and a Republican. He would be appalled by this fascist display,” she said. Nearby, Army veteran Aaron Bogner from Virginia wore a camouflage jacket and voiced his dismay: “It’s just an engineered birthday party… an excuse to roll tanks down the street like North Korea.”
Yet, for many Trump supporters, the day was a powerful reminder of what they see as a strong and unapologetic vision of American leadership. Larry Stallard, an 82-year-old retired pilot from Kansas City, called the event “one thing on my bucket list.” Donning a Trump 2024 shirt, Stallard said the trip was worth every moment. “He’s one of the best presidents in my lifetime,” he added, undeterred by the controversy.
That contrast — celebration and protest, pride and defiance — embodied the moment. Trump’s supporters praised the display as overdue recognition for the military. Detractors saw it as a dangerous merging of personal glorification with institutional power.
As the day concluded, Trump administered the oath to 250 new Army recruits, his voice echoing across the National Mall. “Welcome to the United States Army! And have a great life,” he said, concluding a day steeped in symbolic contrasts. It was both a tribute to 250 years of military tradition and, for many, a portrait of a presidency increasingly defined by division and spectacle.
In a new chapter of Trump’s second term, this parade may go down as one of the most visually striking — and politically divisive — moments yet. It offered an image of America: deeply proud, deeply conflicted, and increasingly uncertain about its path forward.
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