Donald Trump’s birthday parade sparks fury with protests threatened | World | News
Donald Trump is throwing a military parade on this birthday, sparking outrage among millions of Americans set to take part in “No Kings” protests. The US president turned 79 today – the same day as the army’s 250th birthday, and to mark the occasion, the military will be showing off its strength in Washington DC. More than 6,000 troops, 150 vehicles, and 50 aircraft are due to take part, costing up to £33 million in taxpayers’ money.
The Republican maintained that the celebrations are to honour the military’s role in historical victories, but some argue it’s nothing more than a vanity project. There are more than 2,000 protests planned across all 50 states to show opposition to Mr Trump’s agenda, notably in the wake of this week’s ICE raids across the country.
The parade will take place on Saturday in Washington DC, starting with a fitness competiton and official ceremony to mark the army’s anniversary.
At 6.30pm local time (11.30pm UK time) 6,700 soldiers alongside armored vehicles will march down Constitution Avenue Northwest past the White House
Black Hawk, Chinook and Apache helicopters will fly overhead before Mr Trump makes an appearance to watch an enlistment and reenlistment ceremony.
He will then accept a flag from the Golden Knights Parachute Team before a fireworks display.
The US president said the parade was to mark the 250th birthday of his country’s army rather than to celebrate his birthday.
He said, “We’re going to celebrate our country for a change” earlier this week, ignoring concerns about the cost and optics of the event.
America250, the event’s organiser, said it was meant to “showcase the Army’s modern capabilities” and “inspire a new generation to embrace the spirit of service, resilience, and leadership that defines the United States”.
Mr Trump has long been trying to throw an event like this, modelled in part after the one he saw in France for Bastille Day in 2017.
After his advisors initially stalling plans for a parade, Mr Trump will finally get his birthday wish of showcasing the US military power.
Millions of Americans are expected to protest today as they argue their president is acting too much like a king and accuse him of “corruption”. A website for the demonstrations reads: “In America, we don’t do kings.
“They’ve defied out courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings.”
Ezra Levin, co-founder of the anti-Trump organisation Indivisible and an organiser of the protests, told MSNBC: ” This is an opportunity to send a very clear message that democracy is gonna reassert itself, and that’s a message, not to Donald Trump. He’s the least important figure tomorrow.
“That’s a message to the marginal figures in our democracy, whether they’re leaders or they’re institutions who are trying to decide how to behave today, and they need to know that the people are gonna reassert democracy.”
