 "How Iran-Israel conflict, 'No Kings' protests, rain could dampen Trump’s military parade")
Washington is getting ready for a grand military parade on Saturday to mark the US Army’s 250th anniversary — complete with tanks, flyovers, and thousands of troops.
But the event’s smooth run faces growing uncertainty.
Ongoing protests over Donald Trump’s immigration policies, now spreading from Los Angeles to several major cities, are drawing national attention. Simultaneously, heightened tensions between Israel and Iran and a forecast of heavy rain in the capital threaten to overshadow the spectacle.
Add to that the fact that it’s also Trump’s 79th birthday, the event is now carrying far more weight than expected.
Here’s a closer look at the factors that could cloud the celebrations
The ‘No Kings’ protests
Anti-Trump groups are planning to hold nearly 2,000 demonstrations of varying sizes across the country, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, San Antonio, and even Washington.
Many are taking place under the theme “No Kings,” asserting that no individual is above the law.
The protests, if they go as planned, would represent one of the biggest public displays of opposition to Trump since he returned to power in January.
In response, Trump deployed roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles, prompting a legal challenge from California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, who has denounced the deployment as “purposefully inflammatory”.
In Washington, security preparations have reached a fever pitch: approximately 18.5 miles (30 km) of 8‑foot fencing—reinforced with concrete barriers—will seal off streets from the White House to the Washington Monument.
Thousands of law enforcement officers, the Secret Service, and drones will monitor the crowd. Trump has warned that any protests at the parade “will be met with very big force”.
The protests and any response by law enforcement agencies will form a contrasting backdrop to the day-long celebration of the US Army’s history, which will seek to honour different eras of military history with uniforms and military weaponry from those periods.
“I don’t feel like a king, I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “We’re not a king, we’re not a king at all.”
Rain, Iran-Israel tensions add to the uncertainty
Even the weather is playing spoilsport. Forecasts warn of heavy thunderstorms in Washington on Saturday evening, threatening to dampen the parade and accompanying festivities.
On top of that, tensions between Israel and Iran are heating up after Tel Aviv launched airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, prompting serious fears of escalation in West Asia. Trump’s government has sought to distance itself from those strikes, but the timing couldn’t be worse, stoking jitters in Washington.
What to expect at Trump’s military parade
Despite the tension, the Pentagon is sticking to its plan. Around 6,600 soldiers are set to march past the US defence headquarters and down Constitution Avenue starting at 6:30 pm, followed by flyovers and a fireworks display at roughly 9:45 pm.
Key attractions include over 150 military vehicles, like 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armoured vehicles, four Paladin artillery systems, as well as helicopters (Apache, Black Hawk, Chinook) and vintage WWII planes such as the B‑25 and P‑51. Organisers expect up to 200,000 spectators, with FAA restrictions grounding flights at Reagan National for a time.
Cost estimates for the celebration range from $25 million to $45 million, covering logistics, equipment movement, and feeding the troops.
Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given that Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government.
“You’re not doing it to celebrate the Army’s birthday. You’re doing it to stroke Donald Trump’s ego,” Democratic US Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Army combat veteran who lost two legs in the Iraq war, said at a hearing this month.
“If you want to celebrate the Army’s birthday by spending $30 million, I would recommend you think about something along the lines of maybe spending that money on childcare for military families, perhaps tuition reimbursement for military families.”
Supporters argue the parade is a fitting tribute to the Army’s 250-year legacy and Flag Day, coinciding with Trump’s birthday. They say it honours active-duty personnel and veterans alike, across several eras and generations.
With input from Reuters
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