Tanks, thunder, and Trump: The military parade that split America

Economic Times

4 hours ago

Reuters A Stryker armored vehicle is being prepared for a military parade to commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Amid traffic jams, military flyovers, and thousands of troops marching down Constitution Avenue, the United States Army celebrated its 250th anniversary on Saturday. But it wasn't just about history. It was also President Donald Trump's 79th birthday — a detail that has split public opinion and overshadowed the event's original intent.The scale was massive: 6,700 soldiers, 150 vehicles including tanks and howitzers, and more than 50 aircraft. Fighter jets, including the Air Force's Thunderbirds — a last-minute addition at Trump's request — were among the parade's highlights.'I think it's time for us to celebrate a little bit. You know, we've had a lot of victories,' Trump said earlier in the week. 'It is my birthday, but I'm not celebrating my birthday,' he insisted, pointing instead to Flag Day.
It was the first national military parade of this scale since 1991, when troops returned home victorious from the Gulf War. Among the highlights: tanks on urban roads, a White House parachute flag-drop, and a flyover. Trump, stationed at his own reviewing stand, called it 'a celebration of our country' and 'of the Army, actually.' But protests are mounting, weather warnings loomed, and concerns about the parade's cost and purpose deepened — especially as it occurred while the U.S. military engages in controversial operations at home and abroad.
The idea took root last year. At a long-running Army pageant called the 'Twilight Tattoo,' General Randy George and Army spokesperson Col. Dave Butler were hosting media executives when one leaned over and said, 'This would make great television,' according to Butler.From there, things escalated. The Army was already looking for ways to mark its milestone. The suggestion of turning their ceremonial show into a full-blown parade landed without resistance.'We wanted to reintroduce this nation's Army to the American people,' Butler said. 'To do that, we thought we needed to be in their living rooms and on their phones. We needed something that would catch the national eye.'With Trump's interest piqued — a former media executive who had previously tried and failed to stage a military parade — the door opened. 'It was like knocking on an unlocked door,' said one planning official.Not everyone is clapping.A poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center shows nearly 60% of Americans think the parade is a poor use of government money. The Army has estimated its own logistics could cost up to $45 million. Security, air traffic closures, and city disruptions will drive the price higher.'I remain concerned about it, I have to tell you,' said Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. 'These are, for the most part, local streets, and if they're rendered unusable, we have to make them usable and then go seek our money from the feds.'The city is already bracing for road closures, suspended flights, and potential damage to infrastructure. Tanks have been spotted rolling down Rhode Island Avenue, escorted by police. Steel plates and rubber pads have been deployed along the route to mitigate damage, according to Army spokesperson Heather J. Hagan, who said the expected road damage would be 'minimal.'The backlash hasn't been limited to cost.
Democrat Senator Tammy Duckworth, a former Army officer, called the parade 'Donald Trump's birthday parade,' accusing the president of exploiting the event for his own image. 'It's to stroke his own ego and make taxpayers foot the bill,' she said. Critics have compared the event to military displays in Russia or North Korea — performative demonstrations of power under authoritarian regimes. Local advisory commissioners have passed resolutions calling for the parade's cancellation, saying it reflects 'authoritarian governments more than democracies.'Samuel Port, a former Army logistics officer and now unemployed contractor, summed up a common sentiment: 'Trump is using this as an excuse to prop himself up. It demeans the soldiers because it's using them as a political prop.'The parade comes at a sensitive time.
Just one day earlier, the United States began assisting Israel's defence against Iranian missile attacks. And earlier in the week, Trump deployed both National Guard and Marine forces to Southern California to suppress protests against immigration raids. The president bypassed state authority in doing so, drawing legal and political scrutiny.
'The President is deploying the American military to police the American people,' Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, told Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during hearings this week. 'Sending the Marines — not after foreign threats, but after American protesters... should stop every one of us cold.' According to a new NBC News/Decision Desk poll released Saturday morning, 64% of Americans disapprove of the parade. Many cite both the financial burden and the optics of military power being used domestically.'I wouldn't have done it,' said Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), likening the display to Soviet-era demonstrations. 'We were proud not to be that.'The parade also drew comparisons to past authoritarian spectacles. Trump, who has long admired large-scale military demonstrations, first pushed for a parade of this kind after visiting France's Bastille Day celebration in 2017. That effort stalled during his first term, but the 250th Army anniversary provided the perfect excuse.Critics say this was not merely about honouring service. 'It's a stupid order,' said retired Rear Admiral Ken Carodine. 'But it's a legal order. Most of the guys organising or marching in this thing, it's the last thing they want to be doing.'
Presidential historian Barbara Perry from the University of Virginia noted the personalisation of the event. 'Usually it's about the personnel,' she said. 'If [Trump] views it as 'his generals' or 'his military,' and ties it to his birthday — that's what's different.' Trump, however, insists the parade is not about him. 'It will be a parade like we haven't had in many, many decades here,' he said this week. 'And it's a celebration of our country.'Despite forecasts warning of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms, federal officials opted to proceed with the event as scheduled. The parade was set to begin at 6:30 p.m., following a day of commemorations along the National Mall.For Trump, the parade marks a symbolic high point following his return to the presidency in the 2024 elections. Supporters see it as a reaffirmation of strength and patriotism. But detractors view it as a diversion from failed foreign policy pledges, especially regarding the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.The president had campaigned on promises to end these conflicts. But the parade's timing — against the backdrop of ongoing deployments and incomplete missions — raises questions about whether the event is celebrating victory, or distracting from the lack of it.Demonstrations have erupted in Washington and across the country, organised under the slogan 'No Kings.' Activists accuse the president of using military force to bolster his own image.Trump has warned protesters that they 'will be met with very big force,' echoing his broader posture on dissent. That rhetoric has only intensified criticism that the commander-in-chief is merging military spectacle with authoritarian messaging.Local leaders are also frustrated. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed concerns over costs and disruptions. Neighbourhood commissioners passed resolutions calling the parade 'a grotesque spectacle.' And with tanks rolling through streets that recently saw the forced removal of homeless encampments, many see the juxtaposition as deliberate.'It's appalling that we're spending $45 million on a parade after kicking out the most vulnerable residents of our neighbourhood,' said local commissioner Jim Malec.Unlike the parades following the Civil War, World Wars I and II, or even Desert Storm — all tied to clear victories — this event lacks a unifying triumph.'The U.S. is not coming off any war victory,' said Carodine. 'Nobody had a parade for the kids coming back from Afghanistan. That would have made a lot more sense than what we're doing tomorrow.'America's recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have left a mixed legacy. The Afghanistan conflict formally ended in 2021 under a deal negotiated by Trump and executed by President Joe Biden. Many veterans returned home quietly, without recognition or celebration.For some, this parade is a missed opportunity — one that honours political ambition more than military service.