Trump’s military parade becomes reality

WASHINGTON — Thousands of troops descended on Washington, D.C., on Saturday, accompanied by dozens of tanks and helicopters overhead, for President Donald Trump‘s high-profile spectacle to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary.

Trump, whose 79th birthday falls on the same day, has long pushed for a military parade in the nation’s capital — an idea that was swatted down during his first term by Pentagon officials.

Now, with full control of government and an administration stacked with loyalists, Trump is getting the grandiose show of force he’s always envisioned — even if it is drawing critics.

A number of Trump’s cabinet members joined him at the parade, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump was also accompanied on stage by his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.

The parade started about thirty minutes earlier than initially planned due to thunderstorms expected in Washington, D.C., on Saturday evening.

Some of the flyovers planned for the parade were cancelled due to the weather, NBC News reported, per a U.S. Secret Service official.

The parade is among the starkest examples yet of Trump flexing his role as commander-in-chief since taking office.

As the festivities unfolded in Washington, D.C., some of Trump’s opponents gathered across the nation as part of “No Kings Day” demonstrations to protest his administration’s policies.

Protests were scheduled in nearly 2,000 towns and cities across the U.S., according to the event’s website.

It was a vivid split screen, and comes against the backdrop of ongoing tensions in Los Angeles that have escalated since Trump deployed the National Guard to quell protests over immigration enforcement polices.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, law enforcement officials warned the public not to attend the planned demonstrations across the state on Saturday following targeted shootings of Democratic state lawmakers overnight.

Earlier this week, Trump issued a stark warning that any protesters in Washington, D.C., will be met with “very big force.”

Security officials said they were not anticipating widespread counterprotests in the nation’s capital, but they were monitoring any possible activity.

The parade also comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, following Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, and Iran’s retaliatory attacks.

Throughout the day, there were military demonstrations and a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

It was expected to be the largest military parade in Washington, D.C., since 1991, when President George H. W. Bush held a military parade at the conclusion of the Gulf War.

“It’ll give downtown Moscow or downtown Beijing vibes, it’ll feel like a whole nother authoritarian, communist country,” Arizona-based Republican strategist Barrett Marson told CNBC.

One particular sticking point for critics of the event, including some Republicans, was its high price tag.

Altogether, the event could cost up to $45 million, according to an Army spokesperson.

The parade’s cost has come under heavy criticism as congressional Republicans attempt to pass the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes tax cuts for business owners, investors and homeowners in high-tax areas that would add an estimated $4 trillion or more to the federal deficit.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he would not “spend the money” on the event if it were up to him, NBC News reports.

Most U.S. adults tend to agree, according to a poll out Thursday from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that found that 60% of adults surveyed said the military parade is not a good use of government funds.