President Trump looked on as thousands of troops and more than 100 tanks rumbled through the rainy streets of Washington, DC, Saturday for the Army’s 250th anniversary parade.
Calling the Army “the greatest, fiercest, and bravest fighting force ever to stride the face of this earth,” Trump said that a parade celebrating the wars won by America’s vaunted land force has been long overdue.
“Every other country celebrates their victories,” Trump said in his post-parade speech. “It’s about time America did too.”
Trump, with first lady Melania and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by his side, saluted service members as they strolled past the reviewing stand dressed in uniforms tethered to each major time period in the Army’s two-and-a-half century history.
The president, who also celebrated his 79th birthday Saturday, was surrounded by several family members, administration officials and Republican lawmakers in the VIP booth.
The parade to celebrate the anniversary of the Army’s founding on June 14, 1775 — which came just over a year before the Declaration of Independence — featured an array of military hardware.
The processions honoring the Army’s history began just before 6:30 p.m., starting with troops and drum and fife players in colonial-era livery worn during the Revolutionary War.
An Army Golden Knights parachute team made a spectacular entrance during the portion of the parade honoring the 18th-century era troops, appearing to jump ahead of schedule to avoid inclement weather.
The elite parachutists landed in the Ellipse near the White House, and one of the Golden Knights presented Trump with the flag flown during free fall when the event concluded, at around 8:30 p.m.
Troops from the 4th Infantry Division followed, representing the Civil War-era of the Army, complete with cavalry soldiers.
Soldiers clad in World War I and World War II era uniforms marched down Constitution Avenue, along the National Mall, next.
Those processions included several pieces of iconic rolling stock from the period, including a 1918 Dodge touring car, Jeep scot cars, a Renault tank and several M4 “Sherman” tanks.
A B-25 Mitchell bomber –the same aircraft used to carry out the Doolittle Raid over Japan – flanked by two P-51 Mustangs performed a flyover over the parade to cap the celebration of the era.
The Vietnam War section of the parade began with a helicopter flyover.
Massive M1 Abrams tanks lumbered past the president during the Gulf War-era procession, their treads creaking as they rolled down the avenue.
The Global War on Terror and Modern Era part of the parade showcased some of the Army’s newer heavy artillery, including Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Infantry Squad Vehicles and self-propelled Howitzers.
Black Hawk helicopters and Apaches provided aerial cover for these marchers.
“How awesome is that?” one passerby said as the Apaches roared by the Washington Monument.
The final sections of troops represented the Army’s future, and included small drones flying over the heads of soldiers and robot dogs in camouflage paint.
“The Army keeps us free. You make us strong. And tonight you have made all Americans very proud,” Trump said in his closing remarks. “They are watching from all over the world.”
“The US Army has driven bayonets into the heart of sinister empires and crushed the ambitions of evil tyrants beneath the treads of American tanks,” the president continued.
Trump declared: “Time and again, America’s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you, your defeat will be certain, your demise will be final and your downfall will be total and complete – because our soldiers never give up, never surrender and never, ever quit.”
“They fight, fight, fight, and they win, win, win.”
The president’s speech concluded just as dusk fell on DC, before the fireworks went off and singer Lee Greenwood performed “God Bless the USA,” one of Trump’s favorite tunes.
Trump has long set his sights on a blowout military parade, marveling at such spectacles in other countries.
He’s also previously butted heads with DC officials over his hope for tanks to roll down the streets of the nation’s capital.
Trump was granted his longstanding wish of having tanks roll down the streets of DC after the Army agreed to put one-inch-thick metal plates along parts of the route, situated the 128 vehicles with rubber on their treads, and set aside funding for possible repairs.
The procession started on 23rd Street NW near the Lincoln Memorial and ended just past the Washington Monument and the White House at 15th Street NW.
Over 6,600 soldiers participated in the grand parade.
Instrumental versions of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” and Heart’s “Barracuda” were among the songs blared during the festivities.
Saturday also happened to be Trump’s 79th birthday and Flag Day, marking the anniversary of the Stars and Stripes becoming the official US flag on June 14, 1777.
As the president and first lady took the stage before the start of the parade a group of individuals wearing “250 special guest” badges across the street from the reviewing stand began singing “Happy Birthday.”
The parade, estimated to cost between $25 to $45 million to put on, was sponsored by several corporations that received shout-outs during the processions, including Lockheed Martin, Coinbase, Palantir and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The president delivered brief remarks to new Army recruits as the parade concluded and attendees were treated to a country music performance.
Beforehand, there were a series of events held on the National Mall to celebrate the Army and entertain parade-goers, including a cake cutting, fitness challenge, military demonstrations and equipment displays.
During the peak of the parade, the Federal Aviation Administration halted flights into Reagan National Airport, which is just over the Potomac River in Virginia.
Meanwhile, a kaleidoscope of leftist groups organized some 2,000 “No King” protests across the country to mark a “day of defiance” against Trump, who they rage is engaging in authoritarian tendencies by putting on the blockbuster parade to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday.
Protesters were lined up all outside the security perimeter of the parade route, and The Post witnessed some attempting to sneak into the event.
Some wore “F— Israel” shirts and were shouting the slogan as well.
Craig, 39, from Kentucky traveled to DC with his father, a veteran, and braved the long security lines manned by TSA and Secret Service agents to see the parade.
“I thought they did an impressive job, especially emphasizing the different periods of the Army during different periods of service, of soldiers,” he told The Post.
“I thought it was fairly modest in terms of it being a show of force parade. They didn’t have ballistic missiles on flatbed trucks like you would see in coverage of other military parades around the world.”
The patriotic crowd, with those in American flag apparel vastly outnumbering revelers in MAGA gear, chanted “USA” at several points throughout the parade.
The celebration marked the first military parade in DC in 34 years, since the end of the first Gulf War.
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