“No Kings”: A People-Powered Demonstration against the Trump Administration and the State of the Internal Internal Relations in the United States
In a document with guidance for participants and organizers, “No Kings” stressed that participants should practice nonviolence and de-escalate any conflicts with outside parties.
“For those people that want to protest, they’re going to be met with very big force,” he told reporters from the Oval Office. This is people who hate our country and they will be met with heavy force, but I haven’t heard about a protest.
It is estimated to cost between $25 and 45 million, and will feature 6,000 Army soldiers, 49 aircraft, 128 vehicles, and 25 horses. Trump wanted to hold the parade during his first term, but it was scrapped because it was too expensive. He was inspired after attending the annual Bastille Day parade in France in 2017. Bastille state prison was taken over by French mobs in 1789.
The organizers’ website says that the protesters are avoiding Washington to draw a contrast between the people-powered movement and the birthday parade.
The “No Kings” protests began after Trump’s inauguration. They have additionally gathered in protest against the way the Trump administration has cracked down on immigrants and cut the federal workforce.
The group said that in order to pull attention away from the display of military grandeur, No Kings would specifically not demonstrate in Washington on Saturday, and instead host their largest demonstration in Philadelphia – the city known as the birthplace of America.
The Defense Department at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Celebrated the 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Naval Warfare
A large military parade in Washington, DC, on Saturday celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army against a backdrop of political division and protests against President Trump.
Plans for a commemoration of the milestone anniversary were put in place many months before Donald Trump got a second term. The city and military had to scramble to prepare for the large event after the parade feature was added, ballooning the budget by tens of millions of dollars.
The parade is part of a larger slate of events, all taking place around the National Mall. Beginning at 11 a.m. ET, the Army will host a public festival with military demonstrations and live music, before the parade begins at 6:30 p.m.
Democratic lawmakers have called the showcase a misuse of funds since the parade was announced.
“To use the military in this manner when Donald Trump is slashing veterans’ benefits to aggrandize himself, to communicate to the country his control over the military, is just another shameful act of this administration,” said Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.
It featured dozens of armored tanks and artillery vehicles, such as HIMARS, army aircraft, including Black Hawk helicopters and Apaches, and more than 6,000 uniformed troops. The idea was to walk viewers through the history of American military conflict, with some historical uniforms and vehicles being used.
Already, the weekend festivities have racked up an expected price tag of between $25 million and $45 million, according to Army spokesperson Heather J. Hagan. That includes planned road repairs due to possible damage from tanks rolling on city streets.
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Steve Warren, a spokesman for the Army said that Trump will get a folded American flag at the parade but is expected to be a spectator. Such a presentations are usually reserved for the families of fallen soldiers.
Peirce Economakis was bartending on Tuesday evening in Shaw — a residential neighborhood in the city – when he said the main road nearby was suddenly closed off by police around 8 p.m. as truck after truck loaded with military machinery such as tanks and armored cars drove through. He says the whole scene probably lasted about 30 minutes.
It’s not normal. It’s a little depressing,” he said. A lot of people forget that people actually live here and it’s not a playground.
Significant street closures have been in effect around the city since Thursday, and Reagan National Airport has said it will close for several hours, potentially disrupting flights on Saturday to accommodate the military flyover safely.
The city has also been bracing for potential damage to its streets by installing steel plates along the parade route. D.C. Mayor Mariel Bowser has expressed concern that heavy machinery and tanks could rip up roads and require millions of dollars to repair.
The last major military parade was in 1991, also in D.C., to celebrate the end of the Gulf War and commemorate fallen soldiers from that conflict. But even that move was seen as controversial, says Joshua Zeitz, a historian and contributing editor for Politico magazine.
“Our country was born of a very particular opposition to state power, state authority, to standing armies which could enforce that type of authority and power,” he told NPR’s All Things Considered, saying that it’s important to view this parade in context with other moves Trump has made to expand the authority and the power of the presidency.
“In authoritarian regimes, military parades are meant to intimidate in order to commemorate, whereas in democracies they are meant to honor,” Frakes says.
No Kings said on their website that President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look strong. There isn’t real power in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.”
“Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption,” the group said.
As of Friday afternoon, the National Parks Service had approved a protest permit for just one demonstration related to the parade, but other unsanctioned protests could pop up.
Source: Tanks and flyovers: Army celebrates its 250th year, Trump celebrates his 79th
No Kings, Military Parades, and the First 250th Birthday of President Donald Trump: A Memorino for the Past, Present, and Future
Trump is already facing sharp blowback for his decision to deploy the military to Los Angeles amid protests against ICE immigration raids. He has vowed to take action against demonstrators at Saturday’s events.
The organization No Kings organized a protest movement around the country on Saturday after the parade stirred up controversy for what opponents see as a break from democratic standards.
Mike Davis, who has been an Army serviceman for 30 years, said that the military had been waiting for a big party and he was happy to see it.
The last time there was a military parade was during the Gulf War. “So, it’s been a long time and what better way to celebrate it than the 250th?”
He supported people’s First Amendment rights and that protests against the event cast a pall over what should be a celebratory occasion.
He spoke about how the Army made Americans very proud by keeping them free and strong. The other countries celebrate their victories. It’s about time America did the same. That’s what we’re doing tonight.”
Source: 3 takeaways from the military parade and No Kings protests on Trump’s birthday
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“It’s a vulgar display,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said during a news conference on Friday. “It’s the kind of thing you see Kim Jong Un, you see Putin, you see with dictators around the world that are weak.”
More than 5 million people participated in the planned protest, according to the organizers. While protests were peaceful, police in Culpeper, Va., arrested a man who “intentionally accelerated his vehicle into the dispersing crowd,” at the end of a protest. No one was hurt, but one person was hit.
The atmosphere at the event was joyful, said the co-founder and co-executive director of the nonprofit Indivisible.
Thousands were at a Dallas protest, one of more than 60 planned in Texas, KERA reported. Alaska Public Media reported that the theme was “The only king I want is king salmon.”
Shahera Hyatt made signs for her local event that read “From Palestine to Mexico, border walls have got to go” and “ICE, you’re fired.”
“It does feel like there’s a vendetta against people who are exercising their rights to speak up against this administration,” said protester Ali Schoenberger of Sacramento. I feel like it’s important to protect my fellow protestors today, and not let them see or hear what I’m saying on my phone.
“I am completely terrified of what’s going on in our country,” said protester Margo Ross of Watsonville, Calif. “From the beginning I thought it was a coup and a fascist overthrow and I keep thinking that it can’t get worse.” And then it gets worse and worse.”
Separately, U.S. Capitol Police said they arrested 60 protesters Friday evening after some pushed down barriers and ran toward the steps of the Rotunda. They say all 60 will be charged with unlawful demonstration and crossing a police line. There are additional charges for assault on a police officer. The groups behind the protests didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
