Airplanes roared over the heart of Washington on Saturday evening, tanks rolled along the National Mall, brass bands resounded, and thousands of soldiers marched past cheering crowds, as the Army staged the largest display of military power in the capital in more than three decades.
The parade capped a day-long extravaganza honoring the Army’s 250th birthday and fulfilled President Donald Trump’s wishes to showcase the military’s might. long-held desire for the kind of grand pageant he’d witnessed in other countries. It was a source of pride for attendees and dismay for others who took to the streets nationwide, inflamed by the notion that Trump would host such a spectacle — on his birthday, no less.
With crowds drawn to the parade and to protests, the day offered one of the starkest displays of America's divisions since Trump returned to the Oval Office. In big cities and small towns, protesters clogged streets, raised signs and their voices, denouncing what they see as Trump’s authoritarian tactics and disregard for the Constitution. The “No Kings” campaign hosted rallies across the country but chose to bypass D.C., not wanting to let “this birthday parade become the center of gravity,” organizers said.
Still, people poured onto the National Mall all day Saturday for the Army’s birthday festivities. Long lines formed in the heavy heat as people waited to climb into the back of a Stryker armored vehicle, and kids clambered into the front seats of attack helicopters, posing for parents snapping photos with their phones. Across the grass, combat medics demonstrated how they treat injuries in conflict zones. A face-painting stand was steps away from a display of 19th-century rifles. Red MAGA hats dotted the crowd.
The day began quietly with a morning wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery and ended with thunderous fireworks illuminating the night sky.
Every other country celebrates their victories," Trump told the crowd from a stage on the Ellipse, his voice booming from speakers. "It’s about time America did, too.
In the morning Army fitness competition, soldiers dressed in camouflage sprinted with sandbags and worked together to deadlift a 500-pound bar. "It means a lot to take part in something that's truly bigger than myself," said Staff Sgt. James Austin Lane, 35, as a group of young boys raced past to get a better view of troops climbing ropes.
Waiting in line near a helicopter was Austin Hall, a 27-year-old military enthusiast who flew to the District from Chicago on Friday, because he didn’t want to miss the chance of a lifetime. Saturday marked the 250th anniversary of the Continental Congress vote to establish the Continental Army. It was also Flag Day, commemorating the adoption of the American flag in 1777.
Hall hoped to send a message with his presence, too. A liberal who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, he wore a black shirt that said “We The People means everyone,” with the colors of a rainbow underneath.
"Not everyone here is a right-winger," he said.
The festivities were a rapid escalation of the fairly modest affair the Army had initially envisioned when they first filed a permit request with the National Park Service last June. The parade component, specifically, was added to existing birthday plans this year. The president has long mused about a display of soldiers and tanks on the streets of the capital with aircraft overhead but backed off The idea in 2018 faced opposition from the Army and D.C. officials due to excessive costs and the potential damage tanks could cause to roads.
While the Army estimates Saturday’s spectacle will cost the branch $25 million to $45 million The cost to the city, and potentially the entire government, remained unclear as the parade roared into action. The Army agreed to foot the bill for any damage to local streets, and in an effort to reduce impact, they reinforced parts of the route with metal plates and outfitted vehicles with new rubber track pads.
Meanwhile, protesters packed the streets of Philadelphia with drums and tambourines, crowded outside the Georgia Capitol, and marched across the causeway to Trump’s resort home in Mar-a-Lago chanting “USA!” On Monhegan Island off of Maine , people drove golf carts up to the lighthouse overlooking the ocean while others on foot waved homemade signs. The Maine protest drew over 100 people, more than the island’s year-round population.
For some D.C. residents, protesting within city limits was important. Not doing so would feel like “capitulation,” said Nekisha Durett, 49, a local artist who joined hundreds marching down 14th Street. “We can’t be afraid to speak up.”
Spectators having lunch in the deep-blue city filmed and cheered them on. The protesters included teenagers and retirees, liberals holding Biden signs and self-identified Communists, local residents and visitors from as far as Arizona. Many marchers waved American flags: some upside-down, typically seen as a symbol of protest over the state of the country, though a contingent of veterans leading the crowd held flags right-side up.
Let’s bring some joy," said a trombonist at the march who provided a stage name of Michael McTrouserpants. "Nothing makes the oppressors more furious than seeing the oppressed having a good time.
The parade and the surrounding tension highlighted D.C.'s dual identity as the seat of the U.S. federal government and a city that overwhelmingly voted against Trump three times, making related disruptions to daily life all the more unappreciated.
Federal workers were told to work remotely so troops could sleep in downtown office buildings. Flights in and out of Reagan National Airport. were scheduled to be paused During the flyovers, a large section of downtown was closed to traffic, with some road closures lasting for days. Military vehicles arrived in the region by rail and were then transported by truck into downtown, rumbling down local streets on recent evenings, leaving spectators stunned. At least one D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission passed a resolution urging the mayor and D.C. Council to convince the Army to move the parade outside the city limits.
At midday on the Mall in Alexandria, Virginia, resident and Trump supporter Tina Tretina, 53, said she thought the road closures and other inconveniences were “absolutely” worth it.
It’s everything the capital stands for," she said as she strolled past assault helicopters and armored vehicles while country music blared. "It’s patriotism and supporting the United States and our president and his administration and, of course, our military.
Jeffrey Marquardt drove from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to attend the Army festivities with his lifelong best friend, Kurt Coccodrilli, who lives in D.C.
"We’re celebrating 250 years of incredible service that guaranteed our freedom," Marquardt, 60, said.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Coccodrilli, 60, added.
“I just want to see the president,” Coccodrilli’s 13-year-old son, Dario, chimed in, flashing his iPhone screen saver — a photo of himself and Trump at a 2024 rally in Pennsylvania, the two wearing matching navy suits and red ties.
The group described themselves as "die-hard" Trump supporters but said the focus Saturday should be the military and not Trump’s birthday. They were not bothered, they said, by the protests around the country.
"Let them protest. We're celebrating," Coccodrilli said.
About a mile north, hundreds of people had gathered at Logan Circle by early afternoon, some sporting American flags and signs that said “Immigrants Make America Great.”
Wind Euler, 62, arrived with a stack of fliers describing the merit of nonviolent protest. She said her father was a Marine who was shot during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.
This is a fascist image," she said of the parade. "My father fought against fascism.
Army officials had previously pitched The day was described as "an opportunity to really strengthen the connection between America and her Army."
But some protesters said they found it hard to find triumph in a celebration so expensive when Trump’s administration is slashing the government and proposing <failed> to the Department of Veterans Affairs in the name of cost-cutting efficiency. Some also pointed to grand Army displays as a hallmark of authoritarian regimes and worried Trump was undermining the military’s carefully maintained image of political neutrality.
At Logan Circle, D.C., resident Chris Yeazel, 40, said that the 15 months he served in Iraq made him proud to be an American. But seeing both a crackdown on protesters in Los Angeles and Trump’s openly partisan speech at Fort Bragg This week "terrified" him.
A military parade," he said, "was an 'un-American' display meant to intimidate.
Trump warned earlier this week that anyone seeking to protest at the parade would be met with "very big force."
By late afternoon Saturday in D.C., crowds appeared peaceful and beyond the National Mall, much of the city’s Saturday afternoon seemed to tick on as normal. Lines to the nearby Air and Space Museum stretched out the door. The Metro operated largely as usual, and traffic appeared light.
When the parade began, a little ahead of schedule because of rain in the forecast, parents grabbed their children’s hands and took off at a sprint to catch the procession of colors and the song of horns. Some still had their gaze trained skyward to watch the Golden Knights, the parachutists’ contrails painting red streaks on the overcast sky. They later presented Trump with the American flag.
Sweat-drenched crowds broke into chants of “USA” as troops waved from passing tanks. The lingering smell of the vehicles’ exhaust stung throats and noses. The rumble of propellers signaled flyovers as light rain began to fall.
Country singers Lee Greenwood and Warren Zeiders wished Trump a happy birthday from a stage on the Ellipse as did Vice President JD Vance (who also wished his wife, second lady Usha Vance, a happy anniversary).
In total, Army officials said, approximately 6,700 troops participated, with many wearing historic uniforms to commemorate the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, while others wore more modern fatigues.
They marched in lockstep mostly, shoulders back, chests out, heads up.
Sophia Solano, Paul Kiefer, Lateshia Beachum, Katie Mettler, Daranee Balachandar Teo Armus contributed to this report.
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