Other than the tanks, everything was smaller than expected on Saturday—which marked the 250th anniversary of the US Army as well as President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The crowd at the military parade fell short of predictions, and at DC’s main counterprotest, the ratio of journalists to protesters was excessive.
The parade was initially planned last year to involve 300 personnel and four cannons—a modest celebration that pales in comparison to the birthday bash set in motion after Trump took office. In the end, it featured 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles, and 50 helicopters.
Between complaints about long lines (imagine if attendance had reached the predicted 200,000!) and not being able to see the tanks, we heard oohs and ahhs at the day’s parachute show, concert, fireworks, and American-Ninja-Warrior-style fitness competition. Here’s a sampling of what we saw and heard throughout the day.
9:30 AM: Heard at the fitness competition on the National Mall
US service member during the competition: “I gotta drink a couple of beers before this parade.”
Man in a Trump cowboy hat, American flag socks, and stars-and-stripes overalls: “If it rains, it rains.”
US service member to a fellow man in fatigues: “This is real North Korea stuff they’re doing, but whatever.”
A member of a family all dressed in Trump merchandise: “We are very proud to be in America.”
1:00 PM: RefuseFascism Counterprotest and March from Logan Circle to Lafayette Park
Tory, a Navy veteran, on her reason for protesting: “I’m a 100-percent disabled vet. I swore an oath to the Constitution to protect it from all enemies foreign and domestic and I was released from service, not from that oath.” The protest included a cohort of veterans, like Bradley Peck, who served for eight years in the Air Force. He felt like the 250th celebration had been co-opted by the president. “I think it’s kind of a shame, there’s an expression online that everything Trump touches dies, and it’s a shame that that had to happen to the Army’s birthday.”
Lauren Freeman, an area resident, listed her reasons for protesting on her homemade sign. “I’m here today to defend all of the people that are being targeted right now by the Trump administration including immigrants, the LGBTQ community, impoverished communities that are affected by Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF.”
Darcy Nair has been dressing like a suffragette to protest since 2017. “I just can’t sit back and say this is okay. I’m going to keep saying this is wrong for as long as I’m able.”
6:30 PM on: Parade and festivities on the National Mall
Joe Tucker has been serving in the Army for 22 years. He was stationed outside an equipment display during the celebrations. “It’s great to be able to watch everything through history and see how it all started,” Tucker says, admiring the different time periods of military technology on display in the parade. “Being in Iraq and seeing the equipment we had then and what it is now—that was 20 years ago, a lot of that—it’s very interesting to see.”
Are the celebrations political? Byron Fisher thinks not, though many have criticized them as a political stunt given the president’s quest to enlarge the celebration and its overlap with his birthday (it was also Vice President JD Vance’s wedding anniversary, as he told the crowd). “I believe there are people who are making it political,” Fisher says. “I don’t think it should be a political thing. I think it should be something we should all celebrate.”
“What I saw today? Peace. Peaceful people enjoying a day. Short of having marijuana smoked, you would think you were at a rock concert today,” says Edward Shipek, who went to the parade to “show support for Donald Trump and our illustrious military.”
“The minute they said there was going to be a parade, I got a hotel,” says Laura Cook, who flew in from Florida. “I think sometimes [Trump] doesn’t speak eloquently, but he has our best interests at heart.”
Murray, who attended the parade with his siblings and parents, enjoyed seeing the military tech. “The robot dogs was one of my favorite parts,” Murray says. “They were using a Nintendo Switch to control it.” But—“sadly”—they couldn’t bark, he added.
“Everything here is a killing machine, and that is quite a contrast to Americans and their families having a picnic,” says John T, an artist from Baltimore. “A lot of people who see these helicopters are running from mechanical monsters, and we’re cheering.”
For Javier Mascorro, an Army veteran who served in the 1980s, the event involves “lots and lots of emotions.” He adds, “just seeing these young men and women serving today just makes me proud.”
Overheard from a guy waiting in line, as the parachute show began: “That’s the Northern Lights!”
Overheard from another spectator: “I thought there’d be more people. I think I could’ve watched this on YouTube and at least actually seen the things.”
