The contrast was austere. In the national capital, tens of thousands of people came to National Mall on Saturday to encourage a military parade marking the 250th anniversary of the American army – which also arrived at the end of President Donald Trump’s 79th anniversary.
Elsewhere surround the country, in Small Towns and Large Cities, Far Greater Numbers – Organizers say Millions – GATHERED to song “No Kings” and Protest Trump’s Deployment of Military Might Against Proters in Los Angeles, as well as His Expansive Use of Presidential Power To Intimidate Officials and judges, purge the government of independent watchdogs, block congressal funding to agencies and universities, and ignores constitutional guarantors of due process.
The demonstrations took place first – some taking place in the morning, others noon and in the afternoon – creating the largest mass opposition in Trump since its inauguration 145 days ago. The parade started in the evening, with a heavy quota with Maga hats and shirts aligned at the National Mall and along Constitution Avenue to watch the Paratopers jump from an airplane and world war fighters escorting a bomber in front of the Washington monument. Through all this, Trump was seated in a revision stand in front of the Washington monument, alongside his wife, and a large part of his wardrobe, all behind a glass with the balls.
The parade presented the military history of America through thousands of army troops passing in front of historic uniforms – by starting the American revolution and pursuing the two world wars and towards Korean wars and Vietnam. The narration of the parade, which alternated between the history lesson and the recruitment of the announcement for the army, sometimes thanked private companies such as Lockheed Martin, Coinbase and Palantir.
“Whenever duty calls, whatever the danger, the American soldier will be there,” said Trump in his speech later in the evening, just before a fireworks.
We do not know if Trump considered the event as up to his inspiration – the Bastille day parade which he witnessed in Paris in 2017 alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, with walking troops and military vehicles that exceed the emblematic arc of Triomphe towards him. The grandiose display pierced Trump, who returned to Washington and was started to organize his own version. But planning proved to be expensive and city officials were concerned with the damage that tanks and military equipment would do to the streets of the capital.
In a second term where he overturned numerous railings he met in the first, the plans for the military parade met quickly.
It was difficult to predict how Trump’s desired military parade would take place at such a busy moment where he had deployed federal troops on American soil and was grappling with a growing direct conflict between Israel and Iran. A political assassination in Minnesota has further added to tension.
However, for many participation in the parade, the emphasis was placed on the force of the country and not its challenges.
“It’s just a day to be a proud American,” said Crystal Sykes, 58, a nurse who took her home in North Carolina to be in the parade. She wore the Red Make America Super still a hat she had since Trump’s first term, with an attached pin that displays Trump’s name and the American flag in scintillating rhinestones. “If the soldiers do not have our support, no one will want to join.”
The army estimated that the events, which included demonstrations and activities of army’s physical condition on the National Mall, would finally cost between 25 and 45 million dollars. This included the costs to repair damage to the streets of Washington, DC of Abrams tanks.
“I want it to cost less, but I like it,” explains Joey Ink, a 19 -year -old Maryland student, who attended “to show his support for the military, the veterans.” Ink says he voted for Trump but would not call himself a supporter of Trump.
Trump’s long parade has proven to be an effective rallying point for hundreds of demonstrations across the country – with estimates of 100,000 in Philadelphia, 50,000 in New York, 30,000 at the and 20,000 in Chicago. The main organizers did not plan an event in Washington, but some demonstrators also appeared.
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In front of the White House that afternoon, a banner read “All Hail Commanding Bone Spurs”. As a crowd of around 500 people sung “Trump must go now!” The location of the demonstration – The range of the range – was the same area where Trump had sadly used the National Guard to release demonstrators so that he could go to a neighboring church and pose with a Bible. “We have to do something or it will be the end of democracy,” said Jill Taylor, 60, a speech therapist who went to Washington from Kansas to protest against Trump’s military parade.
Earlier in Saturday, in Takoma Park, Maryland, hundreds of people have wrapped the sidewalks from a high road while holding panels reading “No Kings” and “F – K Ice”. Martha Dominguez, 25, a mental health professional living in Landover nearby, says she was there because of Trump’s immigration policies. Federal agents pulling people from jobs and streets left her afraid, even if she is an American citizen. “I feel targeted every time I go out from the house,” explains Dominguez. “Trump thinks he’s all,” she said. “He thinks he is a king. We are going against that because no one is above the law.”
Even further from Washington and other big cities, people gathered in smaller communities like Mountainside, NJ, where about 500 people stumbled the two sides of a highway divided with four -track occupied and extended on a bridge decorated with a panel reading, “no kings since 1776”. Those who braved the rain in the city of 7,000 people included Lex and Sean, who brought their two children – pairs five and three – to their first demonstration, and Connor 25, who was obviously upset when they were talking about having Queer and a trans sister. “The people who are close to my heart are attacked by the administration, and it is simply not something with which I can live if I sit and that I do nothing.”
Back in Washington, the parade was followed by a performance by the Country Warren Zeiders musician and Trump lending the swing to a group of soldiers. “Welcome to the United States army and have a big life,” said Trump.
Not far away, one of the few demonstrators still in downtown Washington found himself surrounded by a little crowd while chanting “Trump Trump!” A park police officer approached and the crowd finally dispersed.
—Leslie Dickstein contributed to the Mountainside reports, NJ
