Tanks Roll Through Washington DC for Trump's Military Parade: Photos

Newsweek

12-06-2025

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Military personnel and hardware have begun arriving in Washington, D.C., ahead of a parade commemorating the Army's 250th anniversary.
Images show preparations for the event on Saturday, which is also President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.
Why It Matters
The parade's estimated $45 million price tag has received criticism, with opponents highlighting the president's stated goal of cutting government waste. They argue that the sum should go to essential services.
While the parade honors the Army, some Democrats have accused Trump of using the anniversary as an excuse to mark his birthday, comparing the event to the military parades of autocratic regimes such as Russia and North Korea.
U.S. Army soldiers on top of an M1 Abrams tank during a media preview of the Army's Parade at West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. on June 11.
U.S. Army soldiers on top of an M1 Abrams tank during a media preview of the Army's Parade at West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. on June 11.A column of vehicles, including a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, taking part in the Army's 250th birthday celebration parade is seen during a preview at West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., on June 11.
A column of vehicles, including a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, taking part in the Army's 250th birthday celebration parade is seen during a preview at West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., on June 11.What To Know
The celebration on Saturday is set to begin in the morning with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
From 6:30 p.m. ET, the two-hour parade is scheduled to take place on Constitution Avenue near the National Mall. It is expected to cross in front of Trump's viewing stand south of the White House.
Organizer America250 said the parade would trace the Army's evolution from the Revolutionary War through to the Army of the future.
The event will highlight two and a half centuries of historical U.S. Army personnel reenactors, period-accurate equipment, vehicles, flyovers and military bands, the group said.
A U.S. Army reviewing stand under construction in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 11.
A U.S. Army reviewing stand under construction in front of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 11.A U.S. Army M1 Abrams tank moving along Independence Avenue as it arrived at West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., on June 10.
A U.S. Army M1 Abrams tank moving along Independence Avenue as it arrived at West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., on June 10.A member of an Army Movement Control Team driving a vehicle as it moved into West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., on June 10.
A member of an Army Movement Control Team driving a vehicle as it moved into West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., on June 10.The parade is set to feature 7,500 troops, 28 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and four Paladin self-propelled howitzer cannons, according to USA Today, which saw planning documents for the event.
Abrams and Bradleys were pictured in the center of D.C. during preparations ahead of the event, which is set to include 50 Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters as well. The vehicles are to be transported by train while helicopters are flown in.
Proceedings are expected to include the displays of vintage warplanes, including a World War II-era B-17 bomber and a P-51 Mustang fighter flying over the National Mall.
Army parachuters will jump from aircraft, land and give Trump the U.S. flag for his birthday, Axios reported, citing Pentagon officials.
Trump is expected to preside over the enlistment and reenlistment of soldiers at the end of the parade, which is set to conclude with fireworks.
Democratic Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee has introduced a bill that would prohibit official presidential birthday celebrations in the future.
Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, accused the president of putting on a "dictator-style military parade" akin to those held in North Korea and Russia while cutting tens of thousands of jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The president has defended the parade and its cost, saying it is worth it to showcase that the U.S. is in possession of "the greatest weapons in the world."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said on NBC: "We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world … and we're going to celebrate it."
Democratic Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee said in a news release: "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."
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California wrote on X: "Donald Trump is using your tax dollars to throw himself a $45 million birthday party. A dictator-style military parade—all while slashing 80,000 jobs at the VA."
What Happens Next
Hundreds of "No Kings" protests are scheduled to take place across the country in response to the parade, countering what organizers have called "the militarization of our democracy" under the Trump administration.