Military parade: Trump celebrates national pride amid unrest across US

A long-anticipated military parade championed by U.S. President Donald Trump finally made its way down Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC, showcasing American military power with tanks, troops, and a 21-gun salute, despite protests across the nation.

Online media reports say the display took place on a rainy Saturday and coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.

Seated at a specially arranged viewing platform just south of the White House, Trump watched as the parade unfolded against a backdrop of clouds over the Washington Monument.

This large-scale procession featured over 6,000 military personnel and 128 tanks.

Trump had initially sought such a spectacle after witnessing a similar military parade in Paris in 2017 during his first term in office.

However, previous plans failed to materialize until the event was incorporated into the celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.

While the parade showcased military strength in the capital, it was met with widespread opposition across the nation.

Simultaneously, hundreds of thousands participated in demonstrations labeled “No Kings” protests, voicing concerns over what they perceived as Trump’s authoritarian tendencies.

Protesters filled city streets, public parks, and community spaces from large metropolitan areas to small towns.

People chanted in favor of democracy and immigrant rights, while denouncing Trump as a “dictator” and “aspiring monarch.”

Authorities nationwide emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and declared a zero-tolerance approach to violence.

Some governors took precautionary measures by deploying the National Guard ahead of the anticipated protests.

In cities like Los Angeles, tensions escalated when demonstrators clashed with police after the day’s formal events had concluded.

Law enforcement responded with tear gas and non-lethal projectiles to disperse crowds, particularly following protests over federal immigration raids that had occurred a week earlier.

In Portland, Oregon, a significant crowd gathered outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building.

This prompted police to use tear gas and projectiles late into the evening to break up the demonstrators.

The unrest in these cities mirrored the broader national sentiment, as demonstrators opposed recent immigration enforcement actions and the perceived erosion of democratic norms.

Major cities including New York, Chicago, Denver, Austin, and Los Angeles saw vast turnouts.

Marchers waved “No Kings” banners, beat drums, danced, and chanted slogans against authoritarianism.

In Atlanta, an event capped at 5,000 attendees quickly reached capacity, with thousands more gathering outside the designated area to listen to speeches near the state Capitol.

Seattle hosted one of the day’s largest rallies, where local authorities estimated over 70,000 participants gathered downtown, according to the Seattle Times.

These widespread demonstrations came just days after protests ignited in response to ICE raids and Trump’s directive to deploy the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles.

That earlier wave of dissent saw demonstrators block highways and set vehicles ablaze, signaling rising tensions around immigration policies and presidential power.

In a public statement released on Saturday, the No Kings Coalition, the primary group organizing the nationwide protests, underscored the bipartisan nature of the demonstrations.

“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 coalition declared.

The day was thus marked by a stark contrast: a display of federal military strength in the capital, and a wave of civic resistance rippling across the country.

While Trump celebrated his birthday surrounded by tanks and troops, many Americans took to the streets to reaffirm their commitment to democratic values and reject what they saw as growing authoritarianism under his leadership.

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