Washington, D.C. – The United States held a major military parade in its capital on Saturday to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army.
President Donald Trump fulfilled a long-standing ambition dating back to his first term in office, to hold a large-scale military parade—a vision reportedly inspired by his 2017 visit to France, where he attended a Bastille Day celebration. Although Trump previously proposed holding such a parade during his initial term, the plans were ultimately shelved due to pushback from Democrats and criticism over the projected costs.
The event, which also coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday, was attended by First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The parade featured a large display of military strength: 6,000 soldiers, 49 aircraft, and 128 military vehicles, including 28 M1A2 Abrams tanks. The procession also included 28 horses and showcased troops in historical uniforms, representing every era from the Revolutionary War to the modern U.S. military.
This marked the first military parade of such scale in the United States since June 8, 1991, when a similar event was held to celebrate victory in the First Gulf War.
Running parallel to the parade were nationwide protests, which originally emerged in response to Trump’s immigration enforcement actions. On Saturday, the protests coalesced into a broader anti-Trump demonstration branded the “No Kings” campaign, criticizing the President’s perceived authoritarian tendencies, proposed cuts to the federal workforce, and alleged assaults on democratic institutions.
Trump has so far prevailed in legal challenges that have allowed him to deploy 4,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to contain riots connected to the immigration crackdown—despite opposition from California Governor Gavin Newsom. A hearing is scheduled for next week following California’s lawsuit asserting that Trump overstepped his executive authority.