WASHINGTON — Hundreds 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 Military’s 250th anniversary.
Trump, whose 79th birthday falls on the identical day, has lengthy pushed for a navy parade within the nation’s capital — an concept that was swatted down throughout his first time period by Pentagon officers.
Now, with full management of presidency and an administration stacked with loyalists, Trump bought the grandiose present of pressure he is all the time envisioned — even whether it is drawing critics.
US President Donald Trump (L) salutes subsequent to US First Woman Melania Trump through the Military 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2025.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Pictures
Exterior of D.C., hundreds of Trump’s opponents gathered throughout the nation as a part of “No Kings Day” demonstrations to protest his administration’s insurance policies.
Demonstrations occurred in main cities, together with New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, and in addition smaller cities. A few of the protests noticed clashes with counter-protesters and regulation enforcement.
Demonstrators maintain indicators as they march down Dolores road protesting the Trump administration through the “No Kings” rally in San Francisco, California on June 14, 2025, on the identical day as President Trump’s navy parade in Washington, DC.
Nic Coury | AFP | Getty Pictures
A demonstrator waves an U.S. flag in entrance of mounted law enforcement officials throughout a No Kings Day protest in opposition to President Donald Trump’s insurance policies, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 14, 2025.
Leah Millis | Reuters
In the meantime, in Minnesota, law enforcement officers warned the general public to not attend the deliberate demonstrations throughout the state following focused shootings of Democratic state lawmakers in a single day.
Some protesters nonetheless confirmed up at demonstrations within the state, with some saying the occasions that transpired in a single day made the occasions extra necessary.
The dramatic cut up display comes in opposition to the backdrop of ongoing tensions in Los Angeles which have escalated since Trump deployed the Nationwide Guard to quell protests over immigration enforcement polices.
Earlier this week, Trump issued a stark warning that any protesters in Washington, D.C., can be met with “very large pressure.” As of Saturday night, the day remained calm within the nation’s capital.
Armored automobiles drive through the Military 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, DC on June 14, 2025.
Alex Wroblewski | AFP | Getty Pictures
Trump’s parade began about thirty minutes sooner than initially deliberate because of thunderstorms anticipated in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night.
However Trump, conscious of the climate menace, advised his supporters in a Reality Social put up earlier on Saturday that the parade would go on “RAIN OR SHINE.”
A few of the flyovers deliberate for the parade have been cancelled as a result of climate, NBC Information reported, per a U.S. Secret Service official.
Various Trump’s cupboard members joined him on the occasion, together with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump was accompanied on stage by his spouse, First Woman Melania Trump.
All through the day, there have been navy demonstrations and a wreath laying on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The occasion was anticipated to be the biggest navy parade in Washington, D.C., since 1991, when President George H. W. Bush held a navy parade on the conclusion of the Gulf Warfare.
Folks watch as an M1A2 Abrams tank rolls previous throughout a navy parade to commemorate the U.S. Military’s 250th Birthday in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Troopers take part within the U.S. Military’s navy parade to commemorate the Military’s 250th Birthday, on the day of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025.
Carlos Barria | Reuters
The parade additionally comes amid escalating tensions within the Center East, following Israel’s assaults on Iran’s nuclear websites, and Iran’s retaliatory assaults.
Troopers wearing Revolutionary Warfare uniforms march within the navy parade on June 14, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Pictures
“It will give downtown Moscow or downtown Beijing vibes, it will really feel like an entire nother authoritarian, communist nation,” Arizona-based Republican strategist Barrett Marson advised CNBC.
One explicit sticking level for critics of the occasion, together with some Republicans, was its excessive price ticket.
Altogether, the occasion might value as much as $45 million, in line with an Military spokesperson.
The parade’s value has come below heavy criticism as congressional Republicans try and move the “One Large Lovely Invoice Act,” which incorporates tax cuts for enterprise house owners, traders and householders in high-tax areas that might add an estimated $4 trillion or extra to the federal deficit.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., mentioned he wouldn’t “spend the cash” on the occasion if it have been as much as him, NBC Information stories.
A member of the Golden Knights, the US Military’s parachute demonstration and competitors staff, lands in entrance of the White Home through the Military 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2025.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Pictures
Most U.S. adults are inclined to agree, in line with a ballot out Thursday from The Related Press-NORC Middle for Public Affairs Analysis that discovered that 60% of adults surveyed mentioned the navy parade just isn’t use of presidency funds.
However for Trump, the fee is “peanuts in comparison with the worth of doing it,” he mentioned in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” final month.
“We’ve the best missiles on the planet. We’ve the best submarines on the planet. We’ve the best Military tanks on the planet. We’ve the best weapons on the planet,” Trump advised NBC Information’ Kristen Welker.
“And we will rejoice it.”
This can be a growing story and can be up to date all through the day.
