Trump's ‘Dictator-style military parade?’ Other leaders who show off tanks and missiles
On June 14, President Donald Trump will watch from a viewing stand as army tanks, artillery and soldiers parade down Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.
The parade and the festival on the National Mall will mark the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary to celebrate "the greatest military in the world," Trump has said. The Trump administration insists it is a coincidence that the parade falls on Trump's 79th birthday.
Democrats have accused Trump of using the military for his own political purposes. Sen. Adam Schiff called it a "dictator-style military parade," drawing comparisons to other world leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and China's Xi Jinping.
America has held military parades in the past, too. Here is a look back at some U.S. military parades and others around the world.
America's military parades for George H.W. Bush, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy
In the U.S., military parades were usually reserved for the end of conflicts, though that tradition fell out of favor amid tensions in the war in Vietnam.
The last time the U.S. hosted a military parade was in 1991 under former President George H.W. Bush to commemorate the end of the Gulf War. Even then, the parade drew complaints about cost and disruption. Also, Bush's birthday was four days later, when he turned 67.
The inaugurations of former presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy, which happened during the Cold War, featured boosted military displays.
France's Bastille Day inspired Trump in 2017
Trump attended the annual Bastille Day celebrations in France in 2017, which apparently prompted his quest for a military parade in the first place. The annual holiday commemorates a critical moment in the French Revolution, and Paris hosts a military parade along the Champs-Élysées.
Trump said in the following months he wanted to outdo the parade, and "It was one of the greatest parades I’ve ever seen ... It was military might."
But some of his staff were less enthusiastic, and Gen. Paul Selva told Trump in a meeting following his Bastille Day visit that military parades were "what dictators do," according to reporting in the New York Times and the New Yorker.
Experts previously told USA TODAY the French parade is a part of broader Bastille Day celebrations, and thus showcasing military strength is not central to the festivities.
Russia, North Korea, Iran, China limit rights in their countries
Other countries that regularly put on military parades often do so to send political messages, USA TODAY previously reported. Those include Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Amnesty International says those countries restrict rights, especially freedom of expression.
Among those countries, only North Korea is classified as a dictatorship by the CIA. The CIA calls a dictatorship "a form of government in which a ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a constitution or laws)."
Russia hosts an annual choreographed parade with troops and trucks carrying weapons to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. Jinping attended in May.
Iran hosts an annual military parade.
North Korea hosted Russian and Chinese officials at a parade in 2023 that showed off the country's nuclear-capable missiles at a parade commemorating 70 years since the end of the Korean War, Reuters reported. The country frequently features such weapons at parades, according to Reuters, and South Korea has also hosted a military parade in an act of deterrence to North Korea.
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‘No Kings’ anti-Trump protests are planned across Texas. See when and where
Saturday, June 14, holds a lot of significance this year.
June 14 is Flag Day, the anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Army and also President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. This year, Trump’s administration will mark the occasion with a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
In response, scores of “No Kings Day” demonstrations are planned across America June 14 to protest Trump and his administration’s policies.
Here’s what to know.
What’s happening in Washington, D.C. on June 14?
The U.S. Army’s Grand Military Parade in Washington, D.C., June 14 will feature approximately 6,600 soldiers, 150 military vehicles and 50 helicopters, The Associated Press reported.
About half of the military vehicles used in the parade are from Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) in Texas, according to the U.S. Army. These vehicles include the M1A2 Abrams battle tanks, which weigh around 70 tons each.
“This historic celebration will feature powerful displays of patriotism, including flyovers, military vehicles, living history reenactments and moving tributes to the courage, sacrifice and commitment of our men and women in uniform,” organizers said on the America250 website.
Also in store: Fireworks, a demonstration by the Army’s Golden Knights Parachute team and a concert with country music performers, according to Axios.
Trump is expected to speak at the event.
Why are people protesting President Trump?
Critics have questioned Trump’s decision to throw an expensive military parade at a time when service members, veterans and their families are being affected by cuts to federal programs and services.
This year’s parade is expected to cost between $25 and $45 million. U.S. Army officials said in May the parade could cause up to $16 million in damage to D.C. streets — a figure that is already factored into the cost of the parade, according to NBC.
“The money spent on this parade could fund care for thousands of homeless veterans or preserve hundreds of jobs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,” Allison McManus, Center for American Progress managing director of national security and international policy, wrote in a Thursday, June 5 article.
This parade will be the first time in more than 30 years that troops paraded in D.C. The last time was in 1991, when President George H.W. Bush honored Gulf War servicemembers in the largest military procession since World War II.
What is No Kings Day?
Organizers say No Kings Day is a “nationwide day of defiance.” It’s expected to be the largest single-day protest since Trump returned to office.
“In America, we don’t do kings,” the banner text on the group’s website states.
“The ‘No Kings’ mobilization is a direct response to Donald Trump’s self-aggrandizing $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told there’s no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools,” a news release on the group’s website says.
Several grassroots political organizations — including 50501, Indivisible and Stand Up America — are joining forces June 14 in protest.
No Kings hasn’t scheduled any protests for Washington, D.C. because No Kings wants to highlight activism everywhere else, according to its website:
“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.”
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