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Washington, DC – It was the 250th anniversary of the American army and Trump’s 79th.
Tanks and other armored military vehicles rumbled in the streets of Washington, DC on Saturday, in what Trump had teased as an “unforgettable” event and the critics had called a tribute dear to “Egoist in chief”.
Speaking after the one hour procession, which crossed a sweet evening dotted with rain drops, Trump framed the spectacle as a long period to come.
“All the other countries celebrate their victories. It is time for America to also have done,” he told the crowd, which has spread through the National Mall.
“This is what we are doing tonight,” he said.
Vice-president JD Vance, who presented the president at the end of the parade, was the only official to recognize the double birthdays.
“June 14 is, of course, the anniversary of the army. This is, of course, the anniversary of the President of the United States, “he said. “Happy birthday, Mr. President.”
For criticism, the dates that overlap sent an disconcerting message.
Far from the celebrations, among a hundred demonstrators in Logan Circle in Washington, DC, Terry Mahoney, a 55 -year -old veteran, described the parade as a “dictator behavior”.
“If you take everything he has done, trample the American Constitution, this parade can just be a clothing in the windows,” he told Al Jazeera.
“But it is the worst type of dressing,” said Mahoney, who was one of the tens of thousands of demonstrations that came down to the streets at the national level to oppose Trump management on Saturday. “So I wanted to make sure that my voice was represented today.”
But at houses of houses, near the entrance to the highly fortified parade road, Taras Voronyy, who traveled from South Carolina, was less concerned with the vague lines of the parade than the soldiers he honored.
“It’s a chance to celebrate the army, and also Trump will be there,” he told Al Jazeera.
“I was actually a little confused if it was supposed to be for the 250th anniversary of the army or for Trump’s birthday,” he said. “So I guess it’s a twofer.”
A birthday celebration
Trump had sought a massive military parade since his participation in a celebration of the Bastille day in Paris in 2017, but faced a decline in defense officials during his first mandate.
This time, he sent 28 Abrams tanks, a horde of armored vehicles, cavalry, military aircraft and helicopters, both modern and ancient, to the American capital, in a demonstration of military equipment without comparison since 1991, when the United States has marked the end of the Gulf War.
The spectators gathered along Constitution Avenue – an artery which links the White House to the American Capitol – for a competition which extended from the birth of the army in 1775, through the Second World War, the Vietnam War and the so -called “war against terror”.
Trump’s arrival caused cheers, and a handful of wicks, crowds, which was dotted with Red Make America Great Again (Maga). Attendance seems to be less than the prediction of soldiers of around 200,000 people.
For Freddie Delacruz, a 63 -year -old American army veteran who traveled North Carolina for the parade, Trump’s birthday and the celebration of the army were distinct phenomena.
“This is a coincidence,” he said. “I got married on June 6, which is the birthday of D -Day [the landing of allied forces on the beaches of Normandy, France]. “”
“These things happen so,” he said. “But we are here to support the army. I spent 32 years in the army – I want to see the tanks, the planes, the helicopters that fly. ”
Delacruz has also not seen much importance in the deployment of Trump earlier this week of the American National Guard in California to respond to protests against immigration raids and customs application (ICE) in Los Angeles and other cities.
Local officials and rights defenders said that the deployment, which was quickly followed by Trump Sending of navies To protect property and federal staff, he represented a major escalation and an excessive excess of presidential power.
A judge took place on the side of a legal action brought by the Californian governor Gavin Newsom, judging that the deployment of Trump without the approval of the governor was illegal. However, a court of appeal interrupted the decision a few hours later, allowing deployment to continue temporarily.
Delacruz admitted that Trump had “a lot of power … I mean, he has the Ministry of Defense, he has the State Department and now, all the members of the cabinet support him 100%”.
“But he is still only the president and he cannot control the congress,” he added. “That’s why people voted.”
Aaron M, an army veteran of 57 years from Miami, Florida, also said that he had not seen a problem with the way Trump had used federal forces in local police.
Trump’s decision was the first time since 1965 that a president has activated the National Guard without the governor’s consent. Trump and defense secretary Pete Hegseth said the approach could be reproduced across the country.
In recent days, Trump has also floated to invoke the Insurrection act From 1807, which would allow American troops to participate in the national police, in what criticisms call a stage towards martial law, but have not yet done so.
“If governors cannot control their states, then Trump should send [the National Guard] “Said Aaron, who refused to give his family name.
“Listen, I was born in Nicaragua. I came here when I was 12,” added Aaron.
“I know what a dictator is. He is not a dictator,” he said, signaling to the gallery where Trump looked at the parade.
“Protest is patriotic”
For Anahi Rivas-Rodriguez, a 24-year-old man from McAllen, Texas, the military competition underlined a more disturbing turning point, who, according to her, included immigration policies of the Trump’s hard line which merger with the country’s military power.
“I have a lot of people in my life that are afraid. We do not belong to fear in America, “said Rivas-Rodriguez, who joined a group of demonstrators walking in front of the White House.
“I do not want an America that tears families and targets people because they seem brown and look Mexican,” she said, her eyes getting up, “because they look like me”.
Trump earlier this week described demonstrators as “people who hate the country”, adding that those who left on Saturday would be “encountered with great strength”.
Rivas-Rodriguez has bristled.
“The protest is patriotic, and I am here for my country because I care about America,” she said. “Maybe I’m a little intimidated [by Trump]But I’m not afraid because I’m still there.
On Friday, around 60 arrests were made during a demonstration at the American Capitol, but no major incident was reported in the American capital on Saturday, many groups choosing to hold demonstrations elsewhere.
The organizers of National “no Kings” protests Did not hold any official event at DC, despite the organization of events in around 2,000 cities across the country.
In a statement, the group said it had done so to avoid “allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity”.
However, Roland Roebuck, a veteran of the 77 -year -old Vietnam War from Puerto Rico, said he wanted to attend the parade to protest to send a message.
“Trump was allergic to military service and deeply disrespectful towards the military,” he said, stressing Trump’s medical exemption to serve in Vietnam due to “bone spur”, in what criticisms said equivalent to dodge.
Roebuck said that the parade – with a price between $ 25 and $ 45 million – is deaf at a time when Trump has made federal services back down, including those who affect veterans.
He also accused Trump of having “erased” the contributions of black soldiers like him in the anti-divide, actions and inclusion campaign (DEI) in the Pentagon.
“Many people who are here are very confused with regard to what this parade represents,” said Roebuck.
“It represents a farce.”
