 "The grand military parade took place as Donald Trump continues to push his influence both within the US and internationally. Reuters")
Thousands of troops, tanks, military vehicles, and aircraft moved past US President Donald Trump as part of the event honouring 250 years of the US Army.
The parade, held on Saturday, was the largest military display in the country in decades. It also happened to be Trump’s 79th birthday.
At the same time, crowds of ‘No Kings’ protesters filled streets, parks and public spaces, shouting slogans against authoritarianism and calling for the protection of democracy and immigrant rights.
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The parade began earlier than planned due to a forecast of thunderstorms in the Washington area.
In this explainer, we look at what happened during the parade, what Trump said, how the ‘No Kings’ protest played out, and several images from both the event and the protests.
Let’s take a look:
How US Army’s 250th anniversary parade took place
The grand military parade took place as Donald Trump continues to push his influence both within the US and internationally.
The last time the country witnessed a similar event was in 1991, following the Gulf War.
Troops and military vehicles from different time periods marched past, while a announcer listed out historic US victories in wars against Japanese, German, Chinese and Vietnamese forces.
According to the US Army, the event cost up to $45 million.
Nearly 7,000 troops were brought to Washington for the occasion, along with 150 military vehicles. These included more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armoured vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery units, and other weapons such as the M777 and M119 howitzers.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAs the armoured vehicles passed in front of Trump, over on the West Coast, the Marines he had sent to Los Angeles were seen for the first time at a public protest, standing outside a federal building.
The parade aimed to show the Army’s journey through history, beginning with the Battle of Lexington from the Revolutionary War to the present day.
The display also featured the US Army’s earliest combat machines. Among them was the first World War I Renault tank, and aircraft like two B-25 Mitchell bombers, four P-51 Mustang fighters and one C-47 Skytrain.
Later, the skies above Washington filled with the sight of UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
The final leg of the parade featured troops representing the Army’s future. Leading this group was the West Point band, followed by cadets from the Texas A&M Army Corps, fresh recruits in basic training, and cadets from the Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel in South Carolina.
America is ‘hottest country in the world’: What Trump said at the parade
After watching the show of strength, Trump described the US as the “hottest country in the world.”
In a short speech, he praised the army’s dedication, saying they “fight, fight, fight, and they win, win, win.”
He also issued a warning to the country’s enemies, promising “total and complete” defeat, especially with tensions rising around Israel and Iran.
“Time and again, America’s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you,” Trump said.
The crowd joined in to sing “Happy Birthday” and broke out in chants of “USA! USA!” during the event.
‘No Kings’ protests held across US: What happened?
As Trump oversaw the military parade in Washington, thousands of Americans took to the streets across the country for “No Kings” protests.
From New York and Chicago to Los Angeles, hundreds of thousands marched in one of the largest demonstrations since Trump returned to office in January. Protesters gathered to oppose his leadership and decisions while in power.
Most of the protests were peaceful, but tensions rose in Los Angeles. About an hour before a citywide curfew, police moved in to disperse the crowd, using gas, flash bangs and other non-lethal weapons. Many in the crowd fled in panic.
Police said that some demonstrators threw commercial-grade fireworks, rocks and bottles. A few protesters wore gas masks and helmets, saying they would continue to stay in the area.
Earlier, a group had confronted soldiers guarding a federal building, shouting “Shame! Shame!” and “Marines, get out of LA!”
Anti-Trump groups had planned around 2,000 protests across the country to coincide with the military parade. Many were organised under the “No Kings” slogan, calling for accountability and saying that no one should be above the law.
In Florida, protesters gathered outside Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. A smaller group also demonstrated in Paris.
“I think it’s disgusting,” 42-year-old protester Sarah Hargrave told AFP in Bethesda, a Washington suburb, criticising the parade as a “display of authoritarianism.”
Among the crowd, a large puppet of Trump was seen, wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet.
Although organisers chose not to protest directly in Washington to avoid giving more attention to the parade, some demonstrators still gathered in the capital. They held signs with slogans like “No Fascist USA” and “No Kings.”
The protests followed last week’s demonstrations against federal immigration raids, and Trump’s decision to send National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, where protestors blocked roads and set vehicles on fire.
Adding to the unrest, news broke of the killing of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota on Saturday. The state’s governor called it a targeted attack.
Trump strongly condemned the incident near Minneapolis, where former state speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed. Another lawmaker and his wife were also injured in the shooting and taken to the hospital.
With inputs from agencies