The parade officially marking the 250th birthday of the US Army happened after "No Kings" demonstrators thronged the streets in cities throughout the US. Video / AFP
US President Donald Trump revelled in a long dreamed-of military parade on his 79th birthday, as demonstrators across the country branded him a dictator in the biggest protests since his return to power.
US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump watch Army 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, DC. Photo / AFP
Trump stood and saluted as tanks rumbled past, aircraft roared overhead and nearly 7000 troops marched throughWashington in the largest such parade in the United States in decades.
Chants of “USA! USA!” erupted as the Republican took to a giant stage in front of the White House for the parade, which officially marked the 250th birthday of the US Army, but also happened to fall on Trump’s own.
The deep political divisions in the United States were underscored however as “No Kings” demonstrators thronged the streets in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Houston and Atlanta.
Trump was quick to condemn the attacks outside Minneapolis in which former state Speaker Melissa Hortman died along with her husband Mark Hortman. Another state lawmaker and his wife were hospitalised with gunshot wounds.
‘Big day’
Military parades are a more common sight in capitals like Moscow and Pyongyang than Washington, but Trump has openly expressed his wishes for one since his first term.
His dream came true on Sunday with a US$45 million ($74.8m) spectacle – although starting around half an hour early because of the threat of thunderstorms raining on his parade.
The procession began with a 21-gun salute, followed by the presentation of a flag to Trump by the army’s Golden Knights parachute team who dropped from the sky.
Two huge Abrams tanks were stationed in front of the stage where Trump sat.
US President Donald Trump and guests watch as members of the US Army parade down Constitution Avenue marking the 250th birthday of the US Army. Photo / Getty Images
Troops and military hardware from different eras of US history then passed by, with an announcer reeling off victories over Japanese, German, Chinese and Vietnamese forces in past wars.
Trump, who saluted a number of times and chatted occasionally to First Lady Melania Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth during the parade, was due to give remarks later.
The Republican, who has begun his second term by pushing presidential powers to unprecedented levels, boasted earlier on his Truth Social network that it was a “big day for America!!!”
He added that Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, for whom he has repeatedly expressed admiration, had “very nicely” called him to wish him a happy birthday.
The two leaders also agreed on the need for an end to the Iran-Israel conflict – a war in which US forces are aiding Israel to shoot down Tehran’s missiles.
‘Vulgar display’
The White House meanwhile dismissed the “No Kings” rallies as a “complete and utter failure” and said the numbers involved were “minuscule”, despite images of streets filled with protesters.
Organisers expected protests in all 50 states against what they call Trump’s dictatorial overreach, and in particular what they described as the strongman symbolism of the parade.
Thousands turned out in Los Angeles to protest Trump’s deployment of troops in the country’s second-largest city after clashes sparked by immigration raids.
A 6m-tall balloon of US President Donald Trump in a diaper is seen among people taking part in a "No Kings" protest in Los Angeles, California. Photo / AFP
Some protesters targeted Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida – while a small group even gathered in Paris.
“I think it’s disgusting,” protester Sarah Hargrave, 42, told AFP in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, describing Trump’s parade as a “display of authoritarianism”.
Critics have accused Trump of acting like the United States’ autocratic adversaries.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who slammed Trump for sending National Guard troops into Los Angeles without his consent, called it a “vulgar display of weakness”.
