Trump presides over Army parade: Celebration or ‘dictator behaviour’?

Washington, DC – It was the 250th day of the United States Army, and Trump’s 79th.

Tanks and different armoured subject vehicles rumbled down the streets of Washington, DC, connected Saturday, successful what Trump had teased arsenic an “unforgettable” lawsuit and critics had called a pricey tribute to the “egoist-in-chief”.

Speaking aft the hour-long procession, which chopped done a balmy evening dotted with raindrops, Trump framed the spectacle arsenic a agelong clip coming.

“Every different state celebrates their victories. It’s astir clip America did, too,” helium told the crowd, which sprawled sparsely crossed the National Mall.

“That’s what we’re doing tonight,” helium said.

Vice President JD Vance, who introduced the president astatine the extremity of the parade, was the lone authoritative to admit the dual birthdays.

“June 14th is, of course, the day of the army. It is, of course, the day of the president of the United States,” helium said. “Happy birthday, Mr President.”

For critics, the overlapping dates sent a disconcerting message.

Away from the celebrations, among astir 100 protesters astatine Logan Circle successful Washington, DC, Terry Mahoney, a 55-year-old Marine veteran, described the parade arsenic “dictator behaviour”.

“If you instrumentality everything other he’s done, stomping connected the US Constitution, this parade whitethorn conscionable beryllium model dressing,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Soldiers march during a subject parade to commemorate the US Army’s 250th Birthday successful Washington, DC [Brian Snyder/Reuters]

“But it’s the worst benignant of model dressing,” said Mahoney, who was among the tens of thousands of protests who took to the streets nationally to reason Trump’s enactment connected Saturday. “So I wanted to marque definite that my dependable was represented today.”

But blocks away, adjacent the entranceway to the heavy fortified parade route, Taras Voronyy, who travelled from South Carolina, was little acrophobic astir the blurred lines of the parade than the soldiers it was honouring.

“It’s a accidental to observe the military, and also, Trump volition beryllium here,” helium told Al Jazeera.

“I was really a small confused if it was expected to beryllium for the Army’s 250th day oregon for Trump’s birthday,” helium said. “So I conjecture it’s a twofer.”

A day celebration 

Trump had sought a monolithic subject parade ever since attending a Bastille Day solemnisation successful Paris successful 2017, but faced pushback from defence officials during his archetypal term.

This clip around, helium sent 28 Abrams tanks, a horde of armoured vehicles, cavalry, subject planes and helicopters, some modern and antique, to the US capital, successful a amusement of subject hardware without examination since 1991, erstwhile the US marked the extremity of the Gulf War.

Spectators gathered on Constitution Avenue – a thoroughfare that connects the White House to the US Capitol – for a pageant that stretched from the Army’s 1775 birth, done World War II, the Vietnam War, and the alleged “war connected terror”.

Trump’s accomplishment prompted cheers, and a fistful of jeers, from the crowd, which was dotted with reddish Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats. Attendance appeared to beryllium little than the military’s prediction of astir 200,000 people.

For Freddie Delacruz, a 63-year-old US Army seasoned who travelled from North Carolina for the parade, Trump’s day and the Army solemnisation were chiseled phenomena.

“It’s a coincidence,” helium said. “I got joined connected June 6, which is the day of D-day [the landing of allied forces connected the beaches of Normandy, France].”

“So these things happen,” helium said. “But we’re present to enactment the army. I spent 32 years successful the service – I privation to spot the tanks, the planes, the helicopters flying around.”

A idiosyncratic holds up a ‘No Kings’ motion successful protestation against US President Donald Trump’s policies and national migration sweeps, during the US Army’s 250th day festival successful Washington, DC, US, June 14, 2025 [Carlos Barria/Reuters]

Delacruz besides did not spot overmuch value successful Trump’s deployment earlier this week of the US National Guard to California to respond to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids successful Los Angeles and different cities.

Local officials and rights advocates person said the deployment, which was soon followed by Trump sending Marines to support national spot and personnel, represented a large escalation and overreach of statesmanlike power.

A justice connected Thursday sided with a suit filed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, ruling that Trump’s deployment without the governor’s support was unlawful. However, an appeals tribunal paused the ruling conscionable hours later, allowing the deployment to temporarily continue.

Delacruz acknowledged that Trump has “got a batch of power… I mean, he’s got the Department of Defense, he’s got the Department of Department of State and now, each the Cabinet members are supporting him 100 percent”.

“But he’s inactive conscionable the president, and helium can’t power Congress,” helium added. “This is what the radical voted for.”

Freddie Delacruz attends the US Army parade successful Washington, DC [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera]

Aaron M, a 57-year-old Army seasoned from Miami, Florida, besides said helium did not spot an contented with however Trump has utilized national forces successful section instrumentality enforcement.

Trump’s determination was the archetypal clip since 1965 that a president had activated the National Guard without a governor’s consent. Both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth person indicated that the attack could beryllium replicated crossed the country.

In caller days, Trump has besides floated invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, which would let US troops to instrumentality portion successful home instrumentality enforcement, successful what critics telephone a measurement towards martial law, but has not yet done so.

“If governors can’t get their states nether control, past Trump should nonstop [the National Guard] in,” said Aaron, who declined to springiness his past name.

“Look, I was calved successful Nicaragua. I came present erstwhile I was 12,” Aaron added.

“I cognize what a dictator is. This is not a dictator,” helium said, motioning to the grandstand from wherever Trump watched the parade.

Armoured vehicles instrumentality portion successful a subject parade to commemorate the US Army’s 250th day successful Washington, DC [Brian Snyder/Reuters]

‘Protesting is patriotic’

For Anahi Rivas-Rodriguez, a 24-year-old from McAllen, Texas, the subject pageantry underscored a much troubling turn, which she said included Trump’s hardline migration policies melding with the country’s subject might.

“I person a batch of radical successful my beingness who are scared. We bash not beryllium successful a fearfulness successful America,” said Rivas-Rodriguez, who joined a radical of protesters marching successful beforehand of the White House.

“I bash not basal by an America that tears families isolated and targets radical due to the fact that they look brownish and they look Mexican,” she said, her eyes welling up, “because they look similar me”.

Trump earlier this week described the protesters arsenic “people who hatred the country”,  adding that those who came retired connected Saturday would beryllium “met with precise large force”.

Rivas-Rodriguez bristled.

“Protesting is patriotic, and I americium present for my state due to the fact that I attraction astir America,” she said. “Maybe I’m a small intimidated [by Trump], but I americium not frightened due to the fact that I americium inactive here.”

Anahi Rivas-Rodriguez attends a protestation successful Washington, DC [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera]

About 60 arrests were made successful a protestation astatine the US Capitol precocious connected Friday, but nary large incidents were reported successful the US superior connected Saturday, with galore groups choosing to clasp protests elsewhere.

The organisers of the national “No Kings” protests held nary authoritative lawsuit successful DC, contempt hosting demonstrations successful astir 2,000 cities crossed the country.

In a statement, the radical said they did truthful to debar “allowing this day parade to beryllium the halfway of gravity”.

Still, Roland Roebuck, a 77-year-old Vietnam War seasoned from Puerto Rico, said helium wanted to be the parade successful protestation to nonstop a message.

“Trump has been allergic to subject work and profoundly disrespectful of the military,” helium said, pointing to Trump’s aesculapian exemption from serving successful Vietnam owed to “bone spurs”, successful what critics person said amounted to draught dodging.

Roebuck said the parade – with a terms tag of betwixt $25m and $45m – rings code deaf astatine a clip erstwhile Trump has been rolling backmost national services, including those that impact veterans.

He besides accused Trump of “erasing” the contributions of Black soldiers similar himself done his administration’s anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) run astatine the Pentagon.

“Many of the radical that are present are precise confused with respect to what this parade represents,” Roebuck said.

“This represents a farce.”

President Donald Trump speaks during a solemnisation of the Army’s 250th day astatine the National Mall successful Washington, DC [Doug Mills/Reuters]