Trump to mark Army’s birthday, and his, with parade of 6,600 soldiers
President Donald Trump’s long-held hopes of soldiers marching and armored vehicles rolling down the streets of the nation’s capital are moving closer to reality, as the White House confirmed Friday that he intends to host a military parade this summer to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
The parade is scheduled for June 14, the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army and, coincidentally, Trump’s 79th birthday.
The Army anticipates featuring 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft and 6,600 soldiers, Army spokesperson Heather Hagan said in a statement to The Washington Post.
The parade will accompany a fireworks display and a daylong festival on the National Mall with military demonstrations, musical performances and a fitness competition, Hagan said.
The Associated Press reported some of the parade details Thursday.
A White House spokesperson also confirmed reporting by Fox News that the parade will include re-enactors and equipment from conflicts including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, both world wars, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War and the “Global War on Terror.” Active-duty service members and students at U.S. military academies will also be featured.
The office of D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), who criticized Trump’s parade proposal during his first term, declined to comment. On a WAMU radio show Friday, Bowser said her staff has “a very active relationship with the White House.”
Asked about the potential plans for a parade at an unrelated news conference last month, Bowser said: “Military tanks on our streets would not be good. If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads.”
According to a permit application submitted by America250.org to the National Park Service on March 31, the parade would start at the Pentagon, cross the Arlington Memorial Bridge into D.C. and continue on Constitution Avenue NW between 23rd and 15th streets. The nonprofit was founded to support the federal government’s multiyear celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The Army began planning a 250th celebration event in Washington in early 2024, an Army official with knowledge of the event said, months before Trump’s electoral victory. The celebration will mark the anniversary of the Continental Congress’s vote to officially create the Continental Army to defend the colonies from the British.
Planners spun up some activities that people could visit along the Mall, like displays of tactical vehicles, camouflage face painting and fitness test demonstrations, the official said, with recruiters on hand to answer questions.
The event was conceived as a static display. But at some point, it appeared the White House learned of the celebration and became interested in expanding the event “to get this parade that President Trump has been wanting for a while,” the official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not been finalized.
Hagan, the Army spokesperson, said there will be multiple events leading up to June 14. The Army is “exploring options to make the celebration even bigger, with more capability demonstrations, additional displays of equipment, and more engagement with the community,” she said in a statement.
During his first term, Trump proposed a military parade complete with tanks rolling through D.C. streets and fighter jets flying across the skies. His inspiration was the 2017 Bastille Day celebration in Paris, where he soaked in the spectacle of French troops marching down Avenue des Champs-Élysées with military tanks and fighter jets painting the sky with streaks of blue, white and red. Trump told people then: “We’re going to have to try and top it.”
After pushback from the military and D.C. officials over costs and logistics, he canceled it and blamed the District’s “local politicians” for what he said was inflating security cost estimates.
Bowser then directed a gibe his way, writing in a viral tweet: “Yup, I’m Muriel E. Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad).”
In a late-night Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said he would rename Veterans Day as “Victory Day for World War I.”
He also said he would rename Victory in Europe Day, commemorated on May 8, to “Victory in World War II Day” to recognize that “we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result on World War II.”
“We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything,” Trump wrote. “That’s because we don’t have leaders anymore, that know how to do so! We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”