WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 14: U.S. President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, among other guests, watch U.S. Army members attend the U.S. Army's 250th birthday parade in Washington, D.C. on June 14, 2025. The U.S. Army will mark its 250th birthday in a military parade, which includes approximately 6,600 soldiers, 150 cars and 50 aircraft. The march coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday and aims to tell the history of the U.S. military. Andrew Harnik by Getty Images
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump finally won a North Korean-style military parade on Saturday’s birthday, characterized by tanks and rocket launchers rolling through the capital’s streets, then a crowd that exceeded expectations.
“Every other country celebrates its victory, and that's the same for the United States,” Trump said in a brief eight-minute speech.
Afterwards, Trump looked bored after sitting primarily on Constitution Avenue, but occasionally paid tribute to passing troops and military hardware.
Trump and his administration claimed that the march was actually to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Army, which was founded in 1775 by the mainland Congress, rather than Trump's No. 79. It is not clear whether the Navy and Marine Corps were also established in 1775 and will also receive $45 million in parade this year. Neither Trump nor the Pentagon mentioned any such plans.
More importantly, before Trump on the podium, Vice President JD Vance described Trump's upcoming words as “the main event” of the night.
Even though Trump tried to hype the incident, attendance seemed bright – fewer people at the National Mall Saturday than the typical July 4 celebrations. Thousands of people attended the Trump march, meeting about 2,000 anti-Trump “King-free” protests in cities and towns across the country.
Trump’s speech, which has angered thousands of supporters, has summoned the city on January 6, 2021. Trump told them that even if he lost the 2020 election, he told them to march on the Capitol to intimidate his vice president to grant him a second term. Trump's mob attacked more than 140 police officers, one died after death, and four others died of suicide in the following weeks and months.
Trump avoided military service during the Vietnam War, thanks to doctors’ notes diagnosed him as “bone spurs” who had always wanted to conduct military parades since he took office. Sources said his transition team before his first semester was trying to equipment for his inaugural parade “Red Square/Korean Style” tanks and other military equipment. But the Pentagon was able to understand the authoritarian optical features and potentially damage the streets of Washington, D.C., which weigh 75 tons and roll on steel treads.
He tried again on July 4 for a two-year term, but backed up. The then-Chief Vice Chairman of the Chief of Staff reportedly told Trump that the military march was “the job of the dictator” and that the cost estimate was leaked in the tens of millions of dollars in cost estimates, persuading Trump to accept a rally speech with military equipment parked in front of him.
Despite his attempts to self-assemble and the criminal prosecutions he triggered, Trump has not stayed away from his desire for the military parade this time.
