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Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
8 unhinged moments from Donald Trump's bizarre birthday tank parade
The long-awaited spectacle, on paper a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the US Army, was sparsely attended - with far fewer than the expected 250,000 Trump fans turning up for his 79th birthday bash Donald Trump seemed to struggle staying awake as his $45 million birthday parade of tanks and troops rolled through a humid Washington DC on Saturday night. The long-awaited spectacle, on paper a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the US Army, was sparsely attended - with far fewer than the expected 250,000 Trump fans turning up for his 79th birthday bash. Elements of the parade - including a parachute display - were moved earlier as dark stormclouds gathered over the National Mall, threatening to soak the 7,000 soldiers marching the two-mile route in 30 degree heat. In the end the weather mostly let them alone - but the chest-beating display of American pomp came at the end of a fraught week for America, and alongside huge protests against Trump's authoritarian behaviour. Everything is fine. Here's what you need to know. 1. Trump struggled to stay awake Trump appeared to struggle to keep his eyes open from time to time. There also was a very weird moment towards the end, where Trump and Melania just stood in the middle of the stage for several minutes in silence, until a uniformed military officer appeared to tap Trump on the shoulder and suggest he might like to try leaving the stage. 2. He came on stage to God Save the King When Trump came on stage for his birthday speech, the US Army band played not 'Hail to the Chief', but 'God Save The King'. In America, the tune of our national anthem is shared with the patriotic song 'My Country 'Tis of Thee'. But if you were looking for signs that Donald already considers himself a monarch, there were plenty to find at Saturday's parade. 3. Nobody looked like they wanted to be there The President sat between gurning Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth - wearing a gaudy camouflage tie and Stars and Stripes pocket square - and a scowling Melania throughout the parade. A few seats away, Secretary of State Marco Rubio looked decidedly bored, sitting sideways on his chair and yawning. 4. The sponsor shoutouts were very weird Among many jarring juxtapositions in Saturday's parade was the list of Trump-friendly sponsors who got shoutouts throughout the display of military sacrifice. "Ladies and Gentlemen," the host said in a booming voice as tanks and troops filed past the President. "Please thank our sponsor, [crypto firm] Coinbase." Later there were shoutouts for datamining firm Palantir and the UFC. Even weirder were the tents where serving soldiers in uniform were handing out free cans of Phorm Energy, a truly vile beverage co-owned by UFC boss Dana White. The variety on offer at the parade was called "Screamin' Freedom". 5. The parade was impressive - but not quite North Korea While the hardware on show was huge and intimidating, the parade itself was not on the same level of grandeur and precision as those seen in dictatorships. Similar displays in North Korea feature huge blocks of troops in tight, formal formation and strict, disciplined marching. Saturday's parade appeared more relaxed, with soldiers ambling down Constitution Avenue, often not in lockstep with each other. But the festivities ended with a genuinely impressive display of American firepower - a huge firework display next to the Washington monument. NK1 6. Millions were protesting against it Thousands of protests filled streets across the United States at the same time as the parade, under the banner of "No Kings". Organisers said millions of Americans marched in hundreds of events, which largely passed without violence or incident. Huge crowds marched, danced, drummed, and chanted shoulder-to-shoulder in New York, Denver, Chicago, Austin and Los Angeles. Atlanta's 5,000-capacity event quickly reached its limit, with thousands more gathered outside barriers to hear speakers in front of the state Capitol. Officials in Seattle estimated that more than 70,000 people attended the city's largest rally. The demonstrations come on the heels of the protests over Trump's mass deportation raids that began last week - and Trump ordering the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, where protesters blocked a freeway and set cars on fire. "Today, across red states and blue, rural towns and major cities, Americans stood in peaceful unity and made it clear: we don't do kings," the No Kings Coalition said in a statement Saturday afternoon after many events had ended. Thousands gathered in downtown LA, where organisers handed out small American flags and people carried protest signs saying "fight oligarchy" and "deport the mini-Mussolinis." 7. The TV news split screens were far from ideal While he made no mention of current events in his speech, the event came at the end of a fraught week for America. Most will have seen Trump's birthday parade on TV news, as a split-screen juxtaposed with either the manhunt for Minnesota assassinations suspect Vance Boelter, crowds howling in protest or missile strikes in Iran and Israel. 8. There were in the crowd The crowd was quite diverse - with a handful of people attending with "No Kings" banners and quite a lot of non-Trump supporting DC locals turning out for the spectacle. But the largest contingent were MAGA die hards, many of whom had travelled hundreds of miles for their guy's birthday. Michael Neill, a 21-year Army veteran who travelled from New Hampshire for Trump's birthday told the Mirror he thought the parade was "great." "I think it's great that the Army after 250 years is having a parade in our nation's capital," he said. "That shows strength, but it also shows that we love our military." Mr Neill went on to say he believes President Trump won the 2020 election, and that Joe Biden was "executed for treason" while in office, and replaced by an actor. "The movie Mission Impossible, the masks? Thats a real thing, folks," he said. "Theres a lot of masks going on and we're about to find out." Gregory, who came from New Jersey to the parade in a bright white shirt, suit and tie, said he was there to celebrate the birthday of "America's dad - Donald J Trump." Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As tension between the White House and Europe heats up, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. And some in the crowd wanted to see Trump stay in office longer than the constitution allows - much longer, in fact. Asked if he wanted to see Trump's name on the ballot in 2028, Edward X Young from New Jersey - who has attended 112 Trump rallies - said: "I hope so." But Rose, his friend from Pennsylvania, who wore a blue T-shirt bearing slogans related to the Q-Anon conspiracy theory, went further. "I think Donald Trump is going to be the last President," she said, adding she doesn't think the 2028 election will take place. "I think the Democrats have destroyed our democratic process with elections, Mr Young said. "They've corrupted jt so bad. Let's face it, this is the greatest President in the history of our country....I want Trump for king." Later, Rose asked me if I thought Princess Diana was still alive. She did not.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Deseret News archives: ‘Star Spangled Banner' named national anthem on this day in 1931
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a bill making 'The Star-Spangled Banner' the national anthem of the United States. The tune was once a pub song, now it is performed at most sporting events and national gatherings. According to Deseret News archives, the U.S. Navy had been singing the song since 1889, whenever sailors raised and lowered the American flag. President Woodrow Wilson declared it the national anthem of all armed forces in 1916. It would still take more than a decade for it to become the official national anthem, per the National Park Service. Other songs were considered, like 'America the Beautiful,' 'My Country 'Tis of Thee,' 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' and 'Yankee Doodle Dandy.' At varying points in history, these songs were rallying cries for Americans and were widely sung. On this day in 1931, Hoover signed into law House Resolution 14, making 'The Star-Spangled Banner' the national anthem. Francis Scott Key watched as the Battle of Baltimore raged on. The barrage of shells convinced him it would be a British victory as the battle stretched on from Sept. 13, 1814, to the next day, per Smithsonian Magazine. But then, the dawn broke and light signaled another day. Amid 'the dawn's early light' on Sept. 14, an American flag waved in the air and Key, seeing the stars and stripes, was inspired to write a poem, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The poem was titled 'Defence of Fort M'Henry,' but it was later called 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' The tune of the song was a popular pub song 'To Anacreon in Heaven' — the same tune that the first custom campaign song was set to ('Adam and Liberty' written by Thomas Paine for John Adams). When the song was printed with sheet music, its name changed to 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' per Britannica. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the national anthem: 'The story of three patriotic hymns 'What so proudly we hail? Let the children know' 'Take a tour where The Star-Spangled Banner still stands' 'Oh say, do we know words to national anthem?' 'Let's swap 'banner' for 'beauty'' 'How the national anthem became part of the culture war' 'Perspective: The national anthem doesn't have to divide us. It can unite us' 'Perspective: Why the Canadians are booing the American anthem at hockey games' 'Do you know the story behind these 7 patriotic songs?' '11 unique performances of the national anthem'
