Trump military parade recap: President celebrates 79th birthday with DC parade and massive firework display
Trump spent his 79th birthday attending a military parade in Washington DC
President Donald Trump spent his 79th birthday attending a military parade dedicated to celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary in Washington, D.C.
First walking out to a mix of “Hail to the Chief” and “Happy Birthday,” the president took his seat in the viewing gallery alongside First Lady Melania Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and other officials.
Saturday’s parade was a rare moment for the U.S. – putting the strength of the military on full view with tanks, aircrafts, and soldiers walking through the nation’s capital for all to see. The last time American troops were on this kind of display was after the Gulf War in 1991.
Thousands of parade attendees gathered around the capital, which was under tight security, to witness the historic moment. At the same time, protesters around the country gathered in major cities to oppose Trump’s controversial use of his executive power.
The president concluded the parade by addressing the crowd of attendees and military personnel, boasting about the strength of the U.S. Army and the nation as a whole.
After, Trump took his seat and watched a massive fireworks display over the Tidal Basin.
Lockheed Martin, Oracle, Palantir, and more sponsor Army celebration
Various well-known corporations sponsored the Army’s 250th anniversary event in Washington, D.C., including Lockheed Martin, Oracle, Palantir, the UFC, Coinbase, Amazon, Boeing and more.
Fireworks close out Army celebration
A large fireworks show over D.C. closed out the Army’s 250th anniversary celebration.
In photos: the Army's 250th celebration in DC
Watch: Trump boasts the US army as the greatest military force in the world
Massive firework display concludes the parade celebrations
Trump had wanted a military parade since his first presidential term
On the president’s 79th birthday, he finally experienced an event he had wanted to have since he was president in 2017 – a military parade.
During his first administration, Trump hoped to put together plans to hold a military parade after seeing a similar event in Paris. But due to opposition by his then-administration, it never came to fruition.
Trump got his birthday wish on Saturday, watching more than 6,000 U.S. Army soldiers march in downtown Washington D.C. for a display of the nation’s historic military.
‘It’s about time’: Trump boasts about American military success as he celebrates birthday at DC parade
President Donald Trump boasted that it’s “about time” America celebrated its military success while addressing troops and the crowd at the parade in Washington, D.C.
“Every other country celebrates their victories,” Trump told soldiers at the parade to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary. “It's about time America did too.”
The president talked up the might of the U.S. Army in his speech, which clocked in at 8 minutes—considerably shorter than most of his public addresses.
Rhian Lubin reports:
Trump boasts about American military success as he celebrates birthday at DC parade
Parade featured different modes of transportation
The military parade featured uniforms, cars, tanks, planes, and more from different eras of the U.S. Army dating back to the Revolutionary War.
Watch: The Independent speaks to Trump military parade goers
Trump team claims 'over 250,000' people attended military parade
Although online reports have mixed reviews about the number of attendees at the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, Trump’s communications director claims there were well over 250,000.
Steven Cheung, the White House Communications Director, wrote on X that, “Despite the threat of rain, over 250,000 patriots showed up.”
However, reports from the Associated Press, the New York Times, and Fox News do not describe the crowd as such.
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