Thousands of troops, dozens of tanks, two mules and a dog: What to expect from Trump's big military parade this weekend
The Trump administration this week is sending military personnel and hardware to both coasts for very different reasons. At the same time that Marines and National Guard troops are headed west to respond to protests in Los Angeles, others are heading east to Washington, D.C., to take part in a lavish parade commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary.
Though Saturday's parade happens to fall on President Trump's 79th birthday, its official purpose is to 'reflect on the rich history and legacy of service, sacrifice and dedication' of the U.S. Army.
'I think it's gonna be better and bigger than any parade we've ever had in this country,' Trump said in a video message posted to Truth Social last week. 'It's gonna be something very, very special.'
Here's what to expect:
The parade will travel in a straight line through the heart of the nation's capital. It will travel along Constitution Ave., starting near the Lincoln Memorial and making its way along the National Mall until reaching its conclusion just past the White House.
The procession will reportedly feature a variety of modern military vehicles, including 28 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and four Paladin self-propelled howitzer cannons. There will also be Sherman tanks, anti-tank guns and other equipment from World War II. Chinook, Apache and Blackhawk helicopters will be among the 62 total aircraft to perform flyovers during the event.
More than 7,000 soldiers will march in the parade, dressed in historic uniforms from, in Trump's words, 'every major war since the revolution.' According to ABC News, 34 horses, two mules, one wagon and a dog will also take part.
In addition to the parade, the Army will also be holding what it's calling a 'Birthday Festival' a few blocks away from the end of the parade route. The festival will kick off with a fitness competition on Saturday morning and will feature opportunities for the public to see more military equipment up close, speak to soldiers and view equipment demonstrations. Several musical acts will perform over the course of the day, including country singers Noah Hicks and Scotty Hasting as well as DJ Nyla Symone.
At the conclusion of the parade, which is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. local time, the Army's Golden Knights parachute team is expected to present Trump with a folded flag after air-dropping onto White House grounds. Trump is then slated to administer an enlistment ceremony for 250 soldiers. There are reports that the president will address the crowd at some point in the evening. The day's events will end with a fireworks display.
Trump expressed interest in hosting a grand military parade during his first term, but resistance from within the Pentagon scuttled the idea. Now with staunch ally Pete Hegseth running the Department of Defense, Trump is getting the parade he hoped for. The concerns that kept it from happening during his previous administration have not gone away, however.
Estimates have put the price tag for the parade at $45 million, though the final expense could be significantly higher because the Army is on the hook for fixing any damage its heavy vehicles do to D.C. streets. Trump told NBC that the cost of the event was 'peanuts' compared to the value of doing it. But critics have pushed back, arguing that the money should instead go to essential government services, which Trump's administration has slashed dramatically since the start of his second term.
While Trump insists that the parade is being held to honor the Army, Democrats have accused him of using that anniversary as a smokescreen for throwing himself a grand birthday celebration at taxpayer expense.
'Donald Trump may imagine himself an all-powerful ruler, but he is a president, not a potentate, and the American people don't pay tribute to him as if he were a king,' said Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen, who introduced a bill that would prohibit official presidential birthday celebrations in the future.
California Sen. Adam Schiff, a frequent Trump foil, accused the president of putting on a 'dictator-style military parade' similar to those held by authoritarian leaders in countries like North Korea and Russia.
Hundreds of No Kings protests — aimed at countering what organizers call the 'authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy' of Trump's second presidency — are being planned in cities across the country in response to the parade.
Trump said Tuesday that anyone protesting the parade 'will be met with very big force.' But organizers have chosen not to hold a No Kings rally in D.C. on Saturday in order to 'make action everywhere else the story of America that day.'
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