Everyone is thinking the same thing after witnessing how many people really attended Trump’s $45 million parade
The president celebrated his birthday with a $45 million military parade attended by hundreds of thousands of people, but some think otherwise.
On Saturday (June 14), President Donald Trump celebrated his 79th birthday by attending a military parade in Washington, DC, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army.
Trump stepped out to say ‘Hail to the Chief’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ with First Lady Melania Trump, his family, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, among other dignitaries.
The military’s force was on full show in the parade, with tanks and planes dating back decades, parachuters from the sky, and more than 6,000 uniformed troops patrolling the city.
The parade shed light on the American Army’s history, from the Battle of Lexington in the Revolutionary War until the present day.
The historic occasion comes as American troops haven’t congregated in such huge numbers since the Gulf War in 1991.
At the end of the parade, the president spoke to the public and military men for eight minutes, stating, in part, “Every other country celebrates its successes. America should follow suit.
“The hottest country in the world right now,” he said. “If you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you.”
Afterwards, Trump and his guests were treated to a spectacular fireworks show over the Tidal Basin.
Steven Cheung, White House communications director, stated that more than 250,000 ‘patriots gathered’ to gather their support ‘despite the prospect of rain.’
However, attendance and photographs of the parade have led many to feel that the figure was greatly exaggerated, with reports from the Associated Press, the New York Times, and Fox News indicating that the audience was substantially smaller.
Dozens have subsequently resorted to social media to criticize what they see as low attendance.
” Bro said ‘show of military power.’ “I see lawn chairs and a Bluetooth speaker,” one Twitter user said. “It looks like a recruiting booth at Six Flags.”
“More people IN the parade than AT the parade,” said another.
Others expressed sympathy for the military men and said that the show, which was projected to cost between $25 million and $45 million, was a waste of money.
“Military parades are wasteful. I want our troops to be able to do their jobs, not be paraded around for Trump’s birthday,” a third wrote.
The big day arrived after Trump stated that he had wanted a parade since his first presidential term in 2017, but was denied by his then-administration.
The event was also impacted by protesters who deliberately planned a clash with the celebration, holding a flagship march in Philadelphia to ‘draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington,’ according to ‘No Kings’ demonstrators, as reported by The Independent.
Demonstrators marched through cities around the United States on Saturday to oppose Trump’s purported authoritarian agenda, which includes forceful immigration sweeps.
While Trump promised to confront the protestors with a ‘very huge force’ before the march, Cheung ridiculed them on Twitter, calling it an ‘utter failure with small turnout.’
“It’s unfortunate that Democrats and liberals would rather support criminals and illegals than commemorate the 250th anniversary of our great United States Army and Flag Day.” But many more Americans are remembering the heroic military men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice and continue to serve our country,” he added.