Trump's long-awaited military parade rolls through D.C. amid protests and patriotism
The grand military parade that President Donald Trump had been wanting for years barreled down Constitution Avenue on Saturday with tanks, troops and a 21-gun salute, playing out against a counterpoint of protests around the country by those who decried the U.S. leader as a dictator and would-be king.
Article content
The Republican president, on his 79th birthday, sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might, which began early and moved swiftly as light rain fell and clouds shrouded the Washington Monument. The procession, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, was one Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until the parade was added to an event recognizing the Army's 250th anniversary.
Article content
Article content
Article content
'Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did too,' Trump declared in brief remarks at the parade's end.
Article content
Article content
The president praised the strength of the military's fighting forces and said U.S. soldiers 'fight, fight, fight and they win, win, win' — putting a new twist on a line that Trump regularly delivered during his 2024 campaign rallies after he survived an assassination attempt.
Article content
Early in the evening's pageantry, the Army's Golden Knights parachute team descended from overcast skies toward the reviewing stand. The team had been scheduled to appear at the end of the parade, but jumped earlier than planned in the drizzly skies above the National Mall.
Article content
At times, Trump stood and saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. But attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade. There were large gaps between viewers near the Washington Monument on a day when steamy weather and the threat of thunderstorms could have dampened turnout.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Hours before the parade started, demonstrators turned out in streets and parks around the nation to sound off against the Republican president. They criticized Trump for using the military to respond to people protesting his deportation efforts and for the muscular military show in the U.S. capital.
Article content
Displays of military might
Article content
The daylong display of America's Army came as Trump has shown his willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other U.S. presidents have typically avoided. In the last week, he has activated the California National Guard over the governor's objections and dispatched the U.S. Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments.
Article content
As armoured vehicles rolled down the street in front of the president, on the other side of the country, the Marines who Trump deployed to Los Angeles appeared at a demonstration for the first time, standing guard outside a federal building. Dozens of Marines stood shoulder to shoulder in full combat gear beside the National Guard, Homeland Security officers and other law enforcement. Hundreds of protesters facing them jeered in English and Spanish, telling the troops to go home.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
17 minutes ago
- CBC
Macron rejects Trump's plan for Greenland, proposal to let Putin mediate Israel-Iran crisis
Social Sharing French President Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Greenland to offer his support to the Arctic island, said on Sunday that Russia lacked the credibility to mediate the crisis between Israel and Iran, as U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested. In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump said he was open to Russian President Vladimir Putin — whose forces invaded Ukraine in 2022 and who has resisted Trump's attempts to broker a ceasefire with Kyiv — mediating between Israel and Iran. Macron said he rejected such an idea. "I do not believe that Russia, which is now engaged in a high-intensity conflict and has decided not to respect the UN Charter for several years now, can be a mediator," he said. Macron also said France did not take part in any of Israel's attacks against Iran. The French leader was visiting Greenland — a self-governing part of Denmark with the right to declare independence that Trump has threatened to take over — ahead of a trip to Canada for the G7 leaders' summit. What's with Trump's obsession with Greenland? | About That 5 months ago Duration 12:38 At a news conference alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister, Macron said the island was threatened by "predatory ambition" and that its situation was a wake-up call for all Europeans. "Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken," he said, adding that he has spoken with Trump ahead of his trip and would speak with him about Greenland at the G7. "I think there is a way forward in order to clearly build a better future in co-operation and not in provocation or confrontation." However, Macron said he ultimately doubted the United States would invade Greenland. "I don't believe that in the end, the U.S., which is an ally and a friend, will ever do something aggressive against another ally," he said, adding he believed that "the United States of America remains engaged in NATO and our key and historical alliances." Trump has said he wants the U.S. to take over the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island, and he has not ruled out force. His vice-president, JD Vance, visited a U.S. military base there in March. Macron is the first foreign leader to visit Greenland since Trump's explicit threats to "get" the island. According to an IFOP poll for published on Saturday, 77 per cent of French people and 56 per cent of Americans disapprove of an annexation of Greenland by the U.S., and 43 per cent of the French would back using French military power to prevent a U.S. invasion. After Trump's threats, Denmark's Frederiksen made several visits to Paris to seek French and European backing and has placed orders for French-made surface-to-air missiles, in a shift of focus for Copenhagen.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Friends say Minnesota shooting suspect was deeply religious and conservative
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a 'bad place' where most churches didn't oppose abortion. Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was at the center of a massive multistate manhunt on Sunday, a day after authorities say he impersonated a police officer and gunned down former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home outside Minneapolis. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz described the shooting as 'a politically motivated assassination.' Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier by the same gunman at their home nearby but survived. Friends and former colleagues interviewed by The Associated Press described Boelter as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for President Donald Trump. Records show Boelter registered to vote as a Republican while living in Oklahoma in 2004 before moving to Minnesota where voters don't list party affiliation. Near the scene at Hortman's home, authorities say they found an SUV made to look like those used by law enforcement. Inside they found fliers for a local anti-Trump 'No Kings' rally scheduled for Saturday and a notebook with names of other lawmakers. The list also included the names of abortion rights advocates and health care officials, according to two law enforcement officials who could not discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. Both Hortman and Hoffman were defenders of abortion rights at the state legislature. Suspect not believed to have made any public threats before attacks, official says Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at a briefing on Sunday that Boelter is not believed to have made any public threats before the attacks. Evans asked the public not to speculate on a motivation for the attacks. 'We often want easy answers for complex problems,' he told reporters. 'Those answers will come as we complete the full picture of our investigation.' Friends told the AP that they knew Boelter was religious and conservative, but that he didn't talk about politics often and didn't seem extreme. 'He was right-leaning politically but never fanatical, from what I saw, just strong beliefs,' said Paul Schroeder, who has known Boelter for years. A glimpse of suspect's beliefs on abortion during a trip to Africa Boelter, who worked as a security contractor, gave a glimpse of his beliefs on abortion during a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023. While there, Boelter served as an evangelical pastor, telling people he had first found Jesus as a teenager. 'The churches are so messed up, they don't know abortion is wrong in many churches,' he said, according to an online recording of one sermon from February 2023. Still, in three lengthy sermons reviewed by the AP, he only mentioned abortion once, focusing more on his love of God and what he saw as the moral decay in his native country. He appears to have hidden his more strident beliefs from his friends back home. 'He never talked to me about abortion,' Schroeder said. 'It seemed to be just that he was a conservative Republican who naturally followed Trump.' A married father with five children, Boelter and his wife own a sprawling 3,800-square-foot house on a large rural lot about an hour from downtown Minneapolis that the couple bought in 2023 for more than a half-million dollars. Seeking to reinvent himself He worked for decades in managerial roles for food and beverage manufacturers before seeking to reinvent himself in middle age, according to resumes and a video he posted online. After getting an undergraduate degree in international relations in his 20s, Boelter went back to school and earned a master's degree and then a doctorate in leadership studies in 2016 from Cardinal Stritch University, a private Catholic college in Wisconsin that has since shut down. While living in Wisconsin, records show Boelter and his wife Jenny founded a nonprofit corporation called Revoformation Ministries, listing themselves as the president and secretary. After moving to Minnesota about a decade ago, Boelter volunteered for a position on a state workforce development board, first appointed by then-Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, in 2016, and later by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. He served through 2023. In that position, he may have crossed paths with one of his alleged victims. Hoffman served on the same board, though authorities said it was not immediately clear how much the two men may have interacted. Launching a security firm Records show Boelter and his wife started a security firm in 2018. A website for Praetorian Guard Security Services lists Boelter's wife as the president and CEO while he is listed as the director of security patrols. The company's homepage says it provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police vehicle, with a light bar across the roof and 'Praetorian' painted across the doors. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest with the company's name across the front. In an online resume, Boelter also billed himself as a security contractor who worked oversees in the Middle East and Africa. On his trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, he told Chris Fuller, a friend, that he had founded several companies focused on farming and fishing on the Congo River, as well as in transportation and tractor sales. 'It has been a very fun and rewarding experience and I only wished I had done something like this 10 years ago,' he wrote in a message shared with the AP. But once he returned home in 2023, there were signs that Boelter was struggling financially. That August, he began working for a transport service for a funeral home, mostly picking up bodies of those who had died in assisted living facilities — a job he described as he needed to do to pay bills. Tim Koch, the owner of Metro First Call, said Boelter 'voluntarily left' that position about four months ago. 'This is devastating news for all involved,' Koch said, declining to elaborate on the reasons for Boelter's departure, citing the ongoing law enforcement investigation. Boelter had also started spending some nights away from his family, renting a room in a modest house in northern Minneapolis shared by friends. Heavily armed police executed a search warrant on the home Saturday. 'I'm going to be gone for awhile' In the hours before Saturday's shootings, Boelter texted two roommates to tell them he loved them and that 'I'm going to be gone for a while,' according to Schroeder, who was forwarded the text and read it to the AP. 'May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way,' Boelter wrote. 'I don't want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don't know anything about this. But I love you guys and I'm sorry for the trouble this has caused.' ___ Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo contributed to this report from Washington. Contact AP's global investigative team at Investigative@ or
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Trump dominates G7 where leaders will be bracing for trade clashes and Middle East conflict
President Donald Trump arrives in Canada as the center of attention for a Group of Seven summit of world leaders whose main purpose will be to mollify him — and one where spiralling conflict in the Middle East offers another test of its unity. Trump was travelling Sunday night to Kananaskis, Alta., for the first big international summit of his second term. Wary of opening new rifts with the U.S. president, other G7 leaders won't even try for a statement of unity on matters such as Ukraine or climate change. It's not even clear that they will be able to demonstrate a sense of common purpose over the conflict between Israel and Iran that began with Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites late last week. Those strikes continued over the weekend, fanning fears of a regional war. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Trump has called for a ceasefire but is helping Israel defend itself, while others such as French President Emmanuel Macron have urged the sides to avoid further escalation. Instead of speaking to allies about the fighting, Trump discussed the conflict in a Saturday call with the G7's main adversary, Russian President Vladimir Putin, a central antagonist in a war with Ukraine that's also frustrated Trump. Macron, speaking to reporters on Sunday, dismissed the notion of Putin mediating the Middle East conflict, saying the Russian leader, given his flouting of international norms, could not 'be in any way a mediator. More than a dozen leaders from around the world were set to join Trump at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge looking to strike trade deals to stave off a fresh round of U.S. tariffs as early as next month. The meeting's remote location means it will be inaccessible to protesters and give leaders freedom to meet Trump on neutral turf instead of under the glare of the cameras in the Oval Office, where he's in control and playing to his domestic audience. Trade deals Leaders from Brazil, South Africa, India, and South Korea will be there seeking to protect their own interests, as will Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy, looking to shore up support for his nation's fight against Russia despite Trump's ambivalence. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum is likely to get her first one-on-one in-person meeting with Trump, while also seeking a fresh US-Mexico-Canada trade deal along with the event's host, Prime Minister Mark Carney. The Canadian leader, meanwhile, will seek to balance standing up to Trump's calls to make Canada the 51st state while avoiding the flare-ups that turned past summits into displays of rancour and disunity. 'The best case scenario in my mind, coming out of this, is that there's no real blowups,' said Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council think-tank. Trump has long considered such summits tedious, and used them to pick fights with fellow leaders. One of his first, the 2017 G-20 in Hamburg, was marked by widespread protests, with posters plastered around the city calling Trump a clown. An enduring image of his first G7, in Italy, was six leaders walking together while Trump travelled separately in a golf cart. A year later at a G7 meeting also in Canada, Trump made his most indelible mark on the summit circuit. A viral photo showed him sitting defiant, with arms crossed, staring up at then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while other leaders stood around her. He then upended the event by pulling out of the joint communique that had been forged in the meeting and firing an angry tweet at then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the Canadian leader's criticisms of Trump's tariff policies. That photo, along with Trump's eruption, casts a 'long shadow' over this year's summit, said Caitlin Welsh, who served as a U.S. summit official during Trump's first term and is now a program director with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It showed 'that consensus outcomes could not be taken for granted in the G7 or G-20 or other bodies,' Welsh said. Even after that, leaders were never quite sure what to make of Trump. In 2019, a hot mic caught leaders — including Trudeau — at another summit griping about Trump running late. At President Joe Biden's first G7 in 2021, he declared 'America is back,' to which Macron shot back — 'For how long?' Now Trump returns, both to the summit sanctum and to Canada, after a bruising tariff war and his refusal to back down from the 51st state threat. That stoked widespread anger in the country and helped fuel Carney's spring election victory. Trump himself has claimed credit. Playing nice But while earlier summits saw Trump spar with counterparts, this batch of leaders have tended to try to play nice with Trump, soothing his ego and avoiding confrontations. And several, such as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Macron and Carney have all had relatively successful — or at least unremarkable — meetings with Trump since his return to office. And there are widespread signs the bloc wants to maintain that approach. Macron is the sole holdover from Trump's first term. While he'll look to maintain pleasant relations with Trump, he visited Greenland on the way to Canada, a nod of support after Trump mused about annexing the Danish territory. Leaders are not preparing a joint communique this time around given that differences are too large on everything from climate change to artificial intelligence to women's empowerment. Instead they are set to issue statements on half a dozen subjects, though Ukraine isn't among them. The U.S. will also push to discuss trade, expanding exports of American energy and AI development, a White House official said Friday in a briefing that made no direct mention of Iran. The leaders are also expected to discuss breaking their dependency on China for critical minerals, according to a German official. Trump has set so-called 'reciprocal' tariffs at 10% for about five dozen countries and the EU, but has made a July 9 deadline to reach deals or see the tariffs rise again. That threat hangs over nearly every leader at the summit. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has touted the progress made so far, as his trade negotiator makes near-weekly visits to the U.S. to negotiate terms, but has also expressed caution about rushing into an agreement. Japan is seeking removal of the levies — and is a test-case of Trump's willingness to negotiate auto tariffs in particular. 'What's important is to achieve an agreement that's beneficial to both Japan and the US,' Ishiba said last week. 'We won't compromise Japan's interests by prioritizing a quick deal.' — With assistance from Arne Delfs, Ania Nussbaum, Donato Paolo Mancini, Brian Platt, Stephanie Lai, Ellen Milligan and Alex Morales. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
