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The Hill
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump says it's ‘about time' US celebrates victories at military parade
President Trump on Saturday touted the might of the U.S. Army at the end of a two-hour parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the branch, framing it as a celebration of the country's military successes. 'Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did, too,' Trump said in prepared remarks. 'That's what we're doing tonight.' Saturday's event came amid turmoil at home and on the world stage, but there was no mention from Trump of outside events. He spoke for about eight minutes, focusing on the Army's origins and several specific instances of bravery from soldiers in wars throughout American history. 'Watching this magnificent display, our souls are filled with gratitude for every generation of warriors who have worn the uniform back to the very beginning,' Trump said. Trump watched the parade from a viewing stand on Constitution Avenue. Other officials sitting with the president included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and first lady Melania Trump. At the conclusion of his remarks, Trump and the first lady were presented with a folded American flag from a service member. Vance, who served in the Marines, also delivered brief introductory remarks before Trump, nodding to the MAGA movement's anti-interventionist bent. 'To our soldiers, we're so proud of you. And let me tell you, the way that we honor and respect you, number one, we never ask you to go to war unless you absolutely have to,' Vance said. 'And number two, when we do ask you to go to war, we give you the weapons and the support needed to kick the hell out of the enemy and come back home safely,' he added. The president looked on as various military vehicles rolled down the street, including Sherman tanks and Howitzers. The U.S. Army Golden Knights parachuted onto the Ellipse near the parade route, landing near Trump's riser. Various groups of soldiers marched along the street, with Trump standing to salute at multiple points. The parade had been clouded by forecasts of stormy weather on Saturday evening. And while a few raindrops fell, severe storms held off and allowed the event to proceed mostly as planned with thousands of onlookers gathered along the parade route. The event was ostensibly to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary, but it in recent months became intertwined with Trump himself, especially given it fell on his 79th birthday. Critics questioned the sizable price tag and likened the display to similar events in authoritarian nations like Russia and North Korea. Anti-Trump 'No Kings' demonstrations took place across the country, with thousands of protesters showing up in major cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, New York and elsewhere. Hours before the parade began, the nation was rocked by political violence after former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband were killed in what Gov. Tim Walz (D) called a 'politically motivated' attack. And tensions were rising in the Middle East after Israel and Iran in recent days traded missile strikes. Trump did not mention the conflict abroad, the violence in Minnesota or the protests during his remarks on Saturday evening. Earlier in the day he said he was briefed on the shooting in Minnesota and said such 'horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Fantastic machines': Tanks, heavy equipment set for DC military parade
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Dozens of tanks and heavy military vehicles have made their way into the District to stage ahead of Saturday's military parade, marking the United States Army's 250th birthday, also falling on Flag Day and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. What to know about Trump's military parade in DC News cameras were allowed into the staging area at West Potomac Park late Wednesday morning. 'This is almost 80 tons of sheer power and lethality. It's crewed by four soldiers,' said Col. Kamil Sztalkoper of the III Armed Corps while pointing at one of the massive machines. 'We brought Abrams main battle tanks, rally vehicles, Paladins, self-propelled Howitzers, and Stryker infantry carriers.' While the machines may be massive and weigh several dozen tons, he says not to worry too much about these tanks tearing up the asphalt. 'These [newly-added] track pads are about 2 inches thick; they keep the metal off the road. This is really going to help prevent [damage to D.C. streets].' How to take Metro to get to the Army parade, festival The parade goes beyond the armor, also celebrating the servicemen and women who make up our armed forces. 'They're fantastic machines, but what really makes them great is the soldiers inside them. Without the soldiers, these machines would be nothing,' said Sztalkoper. Servicemen and women taking part in the parade said they are excited to share part of their story and give people a glimpse of their hard work. 'Everyone here is happy to be here. Happy to represent the Army, their units, and share in the celebration,' said one of the soldiers in town for the event. 'I never thought four and a half years ago, when I joined, that I was going to be here in D.C. for the 250th parade,' said another. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘No Kings': Millions to Protest Trump's ‘Dictator-Style Birthday Parade'
Even before Donald Trump militarized his crackdown on pro-immigrant protesters in Los Angeles, a massive, nationwide demonstration was in the works for Saturday, June 14. The 'No Kings' protests have been imagined as a peaceful uprising to counter President Trump throwing himself a military parade on his birthday (which is also Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the Army). Trump is organizing spectacle befitting a tin-pot tyrant, including a procession of tanks, Howitzers, mobile rocket launchers and other war machines rolling through the streets of Washington, D.C., as military aircraft, including Apache helicopters, soar overhead. Protest organizers have billed June 14 as a 'nationwide day of defiance,' during which Americans across the country stand up to 'reject authoritarianism' and reclaim patriotism in the name of democracy. 'The flag doesn't belong to President Trump. It belongs to us,' the protest website declares. Trump has menaced demonstrators planning to show up at his military procession: 'If any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,' he said Tuesday. Anticipating such a reaction, protest organizers specifically decided not to target the Trump parade route; there is not even a No Kings event planned in D.C. They envision, instead, demonstrators 'showing up everywhere [Trump] isn't — to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.' Turnout at the nationwide demonstrations is expected to surpass the April 5 'Hands Off' protests, which drew more than 3 million protesters to oppose the Trump government, then dominated by Elon Musk, who was imposing draconian cuts on federal services through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. 'We've been planning the No Kings day' for months, says Ezra Levin, a cofounder of the progressive grassroots giant Indivisible, which is a key partner in a protest coalition that includes grassroots groups like 50501, civil rights organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, and many labor and environmental groups. Outside of a few anchor events — a large event is planned in Philadelphia, for example — the No Kings protests are organized on a viral, distributed basis, with locals in each community calling the shots. By last week, the number of planned events had already surpassed the April total. Now that Trump has ordered troops into the streets of Los Angeles — to crack down on Americans exercising their First Amendment rights by protesting actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the reasons to demonstrate just got a lot more concrete. With the 'egregious overreach' in Los Angeles 'inflaming tensions,' Levin says, 'suddenly all the numbers started skyrocketing.' The volatile situation in the Los Angeles area was provoked by ICE agents expanding arrests of community members at job sites, including at downtown garment factories and a Home Depot. Tensions were also inflamed by reports of ICE taking law-abiding individuals who showed up to mandatory check-ins with immigration officials into custody, and then locking them in the basement of a federal Monday with Rolling Stone, Levin described 1,800 planned No Kings events, roughly 500 more than the total for April. These include protests across America — from Nome, Alaska, to San Juan, Puerto Rico (map: here) — as well as solidarity actions around the globe. 'I can guarantee you there will be millions of people out on No Kings day,' he says. The planning for the No Kings protest began when Trump started touting his 'dictator-style birthday parade,' Levin recalls. 'We didn't want to cede the narrative to him; we didn't want to allow him to portray himself as all-powerful.' The idea was to mass-mobilize Americans of all walks of life — in big cities and small towns and rural communities — as a counter-weight to Trump's authoritarian ambitions. (Trump's birthday bash is wildly unpopular; a new poll finds the military parade is opposed by 3 out of 4 Americans, including a majority of Republicans.) The federal escalation in Southern California is rocket fuel for the protest mission. 'In the context of his escalation in L.A., it takes on greater import,' Levin says. 'You need to have a visible demonstration that Americans are against authoritarian overreach.' Organizers want to turn out protesters who are ideologically diverse and geographically dispersed. 'It needs to be everywhere, so that the contrast of what Trump is doing is as clear as possible,' says Levin, a former congressional staffer. 'This guy stands for himself and his cronies. And the American people aren't going to stand for it.' The L.A. protests have been combustible, marked by clashes between demonstrators and the city's notoriously brutal cops and sheriff deputies, as well as with paramilitary forces from the Department of Homeland Security. The authorities have been launching tear gas attacks and firing less-lethal projectiles into crowds, and agitators have been filmed throwing rocks and debris at law enforcement. Levin insists that No Kings will be a show of nonviolent resistance, adding that Trump's ugly show of force — including deploying National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles over the governor's objections — must be met with a combination of mass turnout and immaculate vibes. 'When they crack down on peaceful protests, what you need is overwhelmingly large, peaceful protests. That's the way you respond to the authoritarian playbook.' 'We need non-violence in the streets,' he continues. 'The alternative is giving the authoritarian the excuse that he wants to crack down on yet more peaceful protesters outside of L.A.' With emotions running hot, that puts a special burden on protest organizers — most of whom are self-appointed volunteers. No Kings organizers are providing trainings this week for local protest marshals — emphasizing public safety and de-escalation. 'We need to have everybody in the right mindset,' Levin says, explaining that the protests are a 'strategic play to demonstrate exactly how outside the norm this administration is.' Events this large can take on a life of their own. 'Some people are going to join in because they heard it was the cool place to be,' Levin says. 'It's incumbent on those who are more engaged to act as leaders and to operate under the umbrella of non-violence, because the alternative is playing directly into Trump's hands.' More from Rolling Stone Trump Announces Plan to Honor a Bunch of Confederate Military Leaders 'This Is an Emergency': Kathleen Hanna on Uniting to Fight Against ICE Raids and Fascism Noem Asked for Troops to Be Authorized to Arrest 'Lawbreakers': Report Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Army preparing for largest military parade on the capital's streets in decades, featuring 7 million pounds of hardware
Millions of pounds of military hardware are expected to roll down the US capital's streets in less than two weeks, fulfilling a dream of President Donald Trump but also an effort that has sparked concerns about how the roads of Washington, DC, will fare under the literal weight of heavy tanks and fighting vehicles. The largest military parade the city has seen in decades is expected to bring seven million pounds of vehicles and weaponry as well as a price tag potentially in the tens of millions of dollars, and this week the US Army has started reinforcing the roads that will carry the hardware downtown and along the parade route. The parade on June 14 will feature dozens of M1-A1 Abrams tanks and Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles rolling through the streets of DC, as well as Howitzers and other artillery pieces, officials said. Nearly 7,000 soldiers are set to participate. Most of the tanks, vehicles and equipment are currently en route to Maryland from Fort Cavazos in Texas, and will arrive by train at the rail station in Jessup, Maryland, early next week. They will then be offloaded onto flatbed trucks for onward transport to DC. All told, the parade is expected to bring roughly 7 million pounds of military hardware to the streets of the nation's capital, a non-military official involved in the planning said. But the US Army Corps of Engineers, which has been leading on the effort to protect DC roads and infrastructure, is confident in the mitigation efforts the Army is deploying to minimize damage – efforts that have cost more than $3 million alone so far, Army officials said. The total cost of the parade could be as high as $45 million, officials have estimated. The damage mitigation efforts include laying steel plates down on roads, particularly at spots where the tanks will make sharp turns; putting new track pads on every vehicle to relieve some pressure and create separation between the metal and the asphalt; and ensuring the tanks move only at a walking pace during the parade itself, the officials said. Col. Jesse Curry, the director of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, told CNN that the Army has worked extensively with various agencies and DC utility companies in its planning to minimize potential damage. The Army began laying down steel plates in roughly a dozen locations along the parade route on Wednesday night, Curry said, and is planning to put down matting at a staging area in West Potomac Park, near the National Mall, for the Abrams tanks to sit on before they roll down Constitution Avenue. 'Our concern from an engineer technical evaluation on anything below the surface of the road that's going to be damaged is very, very low,' Curry said. 'We've got the best (engineers) in the world.' The Army's 250th birthday celebration has been in the works for two years, Army officials said. But adding a parade was the Trump White House's idea, so planning for that began only two months ago. Trump's desire for a large military parade – featuring all of the military services – dates back to his first term. But it was scrapped at the time because defense officials said it would cost as much as $100 million and damage DC streets. This month's parade will focus only on the Army, making it slightly smaller and less expensive. The Army Corps of Engineers began assessing how to protect DC infrastructure during the parade back in April, Curry said. The initial worst-case-scenario estimate to protect DC streets was roughly $16 million, Curry said. That would have been the cost if the Army 'did nothing to mitigate' the impacts, he explained. Now, the estimate has dropped down to around $3.5 million, which will include the cost for putting down steel plates and reinforcing them into the pavement with railroad ties, removing the plates afterwards, and any cosmetic upkeep that needs to be done in the wake of the parade. Two people who are not in the military but are involved in the parade's planning told CNN there are still concerns among some agencies over potential damage to underground gas lines – particularly on the route from the rail station in Jessup to the holding area near the National Mall. But Curry emphasized that the Army Corps of Engineers assesses that risk to be 'very low.' The Army has consulted with the National Park Services, the Federal Highway Administration, DC Water, Washington Gas, Pepco, the Department of Transportation and 'all the associated authorities and utility companies that would have rightful concerns,' Curry said. During those discussions, the Army went over the expected route with the companies, looking at their underground gas and electric lines, which Curry said largely run under sidewalks instead of in the middle of the road. That alone mitigated some of the concern over damage to critical infrastructure, Curry said. 'If we're driving on sidewalks, something went really wrong,' he said. Curry noted that the Army frequently transports tanks and heavy fighting vehicles on trucks all around the country, without causing infrastructure issues. The parade is meant to tell the story of the Army through its 250-year history, beginning with the Revolutionary War, tracing through major conflicts and ending with present day. The parade route will begin near the Lincoln Memorial on Constitution Avenue, continue east to 15th Street, and end at the corner of 15th and Independence Avenue. Here is a breakdown of what will be featured: World War I A Dodge Staff car Renault tank World War II 6 Willys jeeps 2 Sherman tanks 2 Half-tracks 1 M14 high-speed tractor A 2.5-ton truck towing a 37mm anti-tank gun Vietnam War: 3 M151 jeeps 2 M35A2 cargo trucks 1 M274 Mule Gulf War: 8 M181 armored vehicles 2 Paladins 8 M2 Bradley fighting vehicles 6 M119 howitzers Global War on Terror: 18 Strykers Modern Era 1 6 M777 artillery pieces 12 M2 Bradley fighting vehicles 4 M119 howitzers 12 ISV utility vehicles 12 Abrams tanks Modern Era 2 3 Paladins 12 Strykers 12 M2 Bradley fighting vehicles 9 M777 artillery pieces 9 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles 12 Abrams tanks The parade will also feature an 'extensive' flyover, Army officials said, involving more than 50 helicopters. Those will include AH-64 Apaches, UH-60 Black Hawks and CH-47 Chinooks. Finally, the Army's Golden Knights parachute demonstration team will jump and present Trump with an American flag – the only part of the parade that will involve the president directly, Army officials said.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
US President Donald Trump's 79th birthday bash: Everything you need to know about the extravagant celebrations
Credit: Instagram/@realdonaldtrump President Donald Trump is finally getting the grand military spectacle he's long desired—and it's landing on his 79th birthday. On June 14, the U.S. Army will mark its 250th anniversary with a full-throttle celebration in Washington, D.C. , a plan that just so happens to double as a birthday bash for the commander-in-chief. Here's a breakdown of everything we know about what promises to be one of the most headline-grabbing events of 2025— Where and when is the party? Festivities are planned throughout the first week of June, but the main event falls on June 14—also Flag Day and Trump's birthday. According to a planning document obtained by Reuters, the day begins with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, followed by a fitness competition and an Army birthday festival on the National Mall, featuring military demonstrations and equipment displays. Credit: Instagram/@realdonaldtrump By evening, the streets of D.C. will fill with marching troops, tanks, and helicopters for a massive parade, ending with an enlistment and re-enlistment ceremony presided over by Trump himself, followed by a fireworks show. The military muscle It's set to be a military lover's dream. Per Army planning documents dated April 29 and 30, the parade will feature: 6,600 soldiers 150 vehicles, including M1 Abrams tanks, Strykers, Bradleys, Howitzers, and Paladin artillery 50 aircraft Historic military reenactors from every major U.S. conflict, from the Revolutionary War to the Global War on Terror The heavier vehicles—like tanks—will avoid crossing bridges into the city. Instead, they'll join the parade near the Lincoln Memorial, according to the Associated Press. Army spokesman Steve Warren told the Washington Post that the vehicles would arrive in the region by train and be trucked into the city. Credit: Instagram/@realdonaldtrump What's it costing taxpayers? The price tag? Between $25 million and $45 million, according to Reuters. That figure covers the military logistics, but not the cost to D.C. for road repairs, crowd control, or cleanup. One official noted the parade alone added 'several million dollars' more to the Army's budget. Trump, for his part, dismissed cost concerns in a May 4 interview with NBC News, saying: 'Peanuts compared to the value of doing it... We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it.' A birthday… coincidence? The White House insists the date is no vanity project. 'My birthday happens to be on Flag Day,' Trump told NBC News. 'I view it for Flag Day, not necessarily my birthday. Somebody put it together.' Music, food & fireworks According to a May 9 National Park Service application obtained by Axios, the event will also feature: A concert on the Ellipse with 5-7 musical acts, likely country performers Food and drink stalls, restroom facilities, and shaded seating A parachute jump by the Golden Knights A fireworks show at 9:45 p.m. Why is this parade so controversial? Critics have long called Trump's parade obsession a show of 'authoritarian' symbolism. His initial attempt in 2018 was scrapped after the Pentagon estimated it would cost $92 million, with D.C. officials balking at the idea of tanks on city roads. As the Washington Post reported, Trump was obsessed with military parades after watching France's Bastille Day celebration in 2017: 'He eagerly leaned forward as he took in the spectacle… jumping to his feet and applauding with an enthusiasm that exceeded the response of those around him.' Despite claiming to cancel the 2018 parade due to cost, Trump tweeted: 'The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it... They wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up!'
