Massive Parade Marks 250th Anniversary of U.S. Army
Largest Protest Against Trump’s Second Administration Held on the Opposite Side
On June 14 (local time), the 79th birthday of U.S. President Donald Trump, the United States was divided in two.
On one side, a massive military parade was held to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, with President Trump in attendance. The event showcased the power of the U.S. military and praised President Trump, who is currently in office. On the other side, the largest anti-Trump protest of his second administration took place.
That afternoon, a large-scale military parade was held in the capital, Washington, D.C. The parade proceeded along Constitution Avenue, from the Lincoln Memorial?a symbol of Washington, D.C.?to the Washington Monument. Approximately 6,700 soldiers, 150 vehicles, and 50 aircraft participated. Military parades are typically used by authoritarian countries such as Russia and North Korea as a means of promoting the regime and displaying military strength, so such an event is considered unusual in the United States.
This parade was the largest since the victory parade for the Gulf War against Iraq in 1991. President Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, watched the parade from a specially constructed grandstand near the White House. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and many other cabinet members were also in attendance.
In his congratulatory speech, President Trump said, "The Army keeps us free and makes us strong," and added, "Tonight, you have made every American proud." He went on to say, "The U.S. Army has driven bayonets into the heart of evil empires and crushed the ambitions of wicked tyrants with our tanks, forcing them to retreat." He continued, "Our enemies have learned the lesson that if they threaten the American people, our military will come, and they will be completely and thoroughly defeated."
Before the parade, large-scale "No Kings" protests against President Trump were held across the United States.
This protest, led by progressive organizations such as Indivisible and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), was the largest since the start of Trump's second administration. In Philadelphia, a symbol of the American independence revolution, 100,000 people participated, while 50,000 joined in New York. Anti-Trump voices were heard at over 2,000 locations nationwide.
In Los Angeles (LA), where protests have been spreading due to immigration crackdowns, 25,000 demonstrators gathered at LA City Hall Plaza. This large-scale protest was planned before the LA protests against illegal immigration crackdowns began, but as the LA protests spread nationwide, the scale of the movement grew even larger.
In addition to protesters highlighting the issue of illegal immigration crackdowns in LA, rainbow flags representing the LGBTQ community, flags supporting women's rights, and flags supporting Ukraine and Palestine were seen throughout the crowds.
Protesters marched while holding signs reading "No Kings" (There are no kings in America), "Power to the People," "Trump Out," and "Abolish ICE," chanting slogans as they went.
At a rally held at Love Park in downtown Philadelphia, Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., said, "The true purpose of this event is to strengthen the values and sense of solidarity within our community," and added, "I hope this energy will spread." He continued, "Our society must stop turning our backs on one another," and said, "Now is the time to turn toward each other."
Most rallies on this day proceeded peacefully. However, in some areas, clashes broke out between police and protesters. In Charlotte, North Carolina, after the official end of the protest, police used pepper spray to stop some demonstrators who tried to cross the police barricade. In addition, in northern Atlanta, Georgia, where there is a large Latino population, police used tear gas during a separate protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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