What to know about Trump's military parade

Daily Mail​

20 hours ago

It was supposed to be a celebration - but it's also teasing America's military might. President Donald Trump 's massive parade marking the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army is expected to go ahead as planned Saturday evening, amid ongoing strikes between Israel and Iran - and looming fears of an escalation into World War III. What could stop it is the weather, as lightning in the area would push the Pentagon to delay the planned march down Constitution Avenue, which includes flyovers and parachute jumps.
Saturday morning Trump insisted it was happening, despite thunderstorm concerns. 'OUR GREAT MILITARY PARADE IS ON, RAIN OR SHINE. REMEMBER, A RAINY DAY PERADE BRINGS GOOD LUCK. I'LL SEE YOU ALL IN D.C.' he wrote on Truth Social. He fixed the spelling of 'perade' in a second post. It will be the first time the streets of the capital have been swamped with soldiers in since a celebration of the end of the Gulf War in 1991.
The celebration falls on Trump's 79th birthday, but he has denied accusations the event is to mark his own milestone. He will still be front-and-center. The president is expected to deliver remarks, receive a folded flag from a parachutist and perform an enlistment and reenlistment ceremony. Overall, the U.S. Army is bringing 6,700 troops to Washington, D.C. for the occasion, along with 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft, according to the Associated Press.
During the daytime the Army is holding a festival on the National Mall that includes a fitness competition and appearances by NFL players and astronauts, among others The parade, which is expected to kick off at 6:30 p.m., will showcase the evolution of the Army, using period uniforms and vintage equipment, including a World War Two-era B-25 bomber. Bradley Fighting Vehicles, M1A2/Abrams tanks - which weigh approximately 68 tons - and Strykers are among those being showcased in the parade.
Last week the Army Corps of Engineers started putting down metal plating on the street in the areas where the large vehicles would need to turn in order to preserve the District's streets. One special moment that's expected is when the 1st Cavalry Division walks in the parade. The Texas-based group brings along with them 14 horses, two mules and a two-year-old Blue Heeler named Private Doc Holliday.
At its conclusion, the Army's Golden Knight parachutists will jump down to the Ellipse and hand to Trump the folded American flag. After that, MAGA crooner Lee Greenwood and others will perform onstage at the Ellipse - and to end the night, there will be a fireworks show over the National Mall. The Army says as many as 200,000 people could attend.
The inspiration for the military parade dates back to the beginning of Trump's first term - when he was invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to the July 2017 Bastille Day celebrations, which also marked the U.S.'s 100th anniversary of entering World War I, which Allied forces won. The president pushed for a military parade during his first term, but was unsuccessful due to cost concerns - the federal government would be on the hook for repairing D.C.'s roadways from any damages the tanks would incur.
He did the next best thing - he moved the annual Fourth of July celebration from the White House's South Lawn to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Tanks were used to decorate Trump's 2019 'Salute to America.' The Blue Angels, Air Force One and other military aircraft flew over the National Mall - which is usually restricted airspace. On the campaign trail leading up to the 2024 election, Trump promised supporters that he would plan a grand celebration for the country's 250th birthday - July 4, 2026.
Saturday's parade marks the start of that celebration, as the U.S. Army was formed more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Ahead of the gathering, a Pentagon source confirmed that if there is lightning in the area the parade could be postponed of canceled. Sources wouldn't elaborate on contingency plans just yet. A White House spokesperson pressed that some show would go on.
'Any changes to the Army Birthday Parade will be announced by the Department of Defense of America 250 Commission. No matter what, a historic celebration of our military servicemembers will take place!' deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told the Daily Mail. Overall the cost of the parade is estimated to be between $25 and $45 million. Polling released Thursday from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Americans believe the parade is 'not a good use' of taxpayer dollars, however more U.S. adults approve than disapprove of Trump's decision to hold the festivities.
The poll found that about 4 in 10 adults 'somewhat' or strongly' approved of the parade, while closer to 3 in 10 'somewhat' or 'strongly' disapproved. Days ahead of the parade, additional fencing was erected around the White House and the U.S. Capitol and along some of D.C.'s streets, with major road closures expected.
Due to the military flyovers, Reagan Washington National Airport will shut down Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. D.C.'s roadways are expected to be back to normal by Monday. In January a shocking crash occurred over the Potomac involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines commuter jet trying to land at DCA - killing all 67 people on board both aircrafts.
Protests are also a concern as a number of 'No Kings' demonstrations are planned for Saturday. Organizers, however, have pushed potential protesters to take part in other cities including Philadelphia and at events in the D.C. suburbs of Virginia and Maryland, due to the heavy security footprint surrounding the parade.