Trump Birthday Military Parade Sparks Nationwide Protests, Political Tensions

President Trump marked his 79th birthday with a grand military parade in Washington D.C., coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the US Army. The event featured a 21-gun salute as Trump took his seat in a reviewing stand, but it also sparked nationwide protests under the banner “No Kings,” expressing opposition to what demonstrators see as his authoritarian tendencies. While Trump and supporters hailed the parade as a patriotic and inspiring display of military might, critics and some attendees voiced concerns about the erosion of democracy and the politicization of the military. The parade was a spectacle months in the making, but tensions ran high due to clashes between Trump supporters and protesters, as well as the recent politically motivated assassination of a Minnesota state legislator. The legal status of Trump's deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles remains under judicial review, with implications for future handling of protests. The event underscored deep divisions in the country over Trump’s leadership and the role of the military in politics.