'I went to DC Army parade - President Trump was wrong about protesters in America'

Irish Daily Star

13 hours ago

If I had headed into the 250th U.S. Army anniversary parade based on what
Donald Trump
said and thought, I would have been a lot more scared - and wrong.
The president of the United States has insisted that anyone who protests ICE, Immigration, or himself as president,
protests known as "No Kings Day"
, simply "hates" America as a country.
"I haven't even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country," Trump said earlier this week.
This has created a dangerous narrative, leaving some to believe that anyone who doesn't support every single thing about America doesn't support America at all.
After going to Saturday's parade
, I can say that
Trump is incorrect
; this is not the case.
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At the parade, I met several people who protested Trump's presidency, but made it clear that they were grateful for the U.S. Army and happy to celebrate its birthday, and America.
Joan Miles wished the Army a Happy 250th Birthday, but thinks Trump is unfit to be president
(Image: Lauren Peacock)
People like 64-year-old Joan Miles, who was wearing a sign that read "TRUMP unfit to serve in Vietnam, Unfit to Serve Now, Happy 250th Bday Army!"
I asked her why she was out at the parade with that sign.
"Because I was really upset that Trump seemed to co-opt the Army's celebration by turning it into his birthday party," she explained.
"Several years ago, the army did a lot of planning for this, and it was all to recognize them. But when Trump got involved and he was elected, he added the parade in.
"And I find that co-opting our Army's birthday celebration for his ego."
Conner Owens is proud of America, but upset with the Trump administration
(Image: Lauren Peacock)
Then there was 24-year-old Conner Owens from Virginia, walking around the city in jeans and a white t-shirt holding an American flag, who said he is "very proud of this country" but is upset with its current administration.
"I'm very proud of this country, I believe in the ideals that were set out by the founding fathers in the Constitution and I feel like our current administration is not following through and they're taking away rights from people that make this country better," he stated.
"They're making people out to be villains when they're just trying to express how they feel, and that makes me very angry, so I'm out here, trying to advocate for the ideals that the founding fathers set up," he explained.
I asked Owens if he was excited for the parade that day.
"I'm excited for it, I think it's gonna be cool, it is a bit of a waste of our tax dollars though," he added.
73-year-old Don Nygaard is a veteran who disapproves of Donald Trump as president
(Image: Lauren Peacock)
I even met a veteran, 73-year-old Don Nygaard, who traveled from Minneapolis, Minnesota to
Washington DC
to show solidarity with anti-Trump protesters.
Nygaard said that he served in the United States Marine Corps from 1972 to 1979.
He held a sign that read "It's 1933 IN AMERICA, CRUSH THE FASCISTS".
"I honor the military, I served, and they understand what it means to protect and defend the constitution, I don't believe all of them are in favor of marching in this parade quite frankly," he said.
"I think anything that Donald Trump can do to grandiose himself, he's gonna do. He's gonna lie, cheat, steal, and I'm way past that."
Throughout Washington, D.C., there were shirts, signs, and flags praising Trump sharing the same space as shirts, signs, and flags calling for Trump's resignation.
People of both sides were able to say: "I support America and it's Army".