Protests are expected across the country Saturday in response to the celebratory events to be held in Washington D.C., marking the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday and Flag Day, which coincide with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.
A parade recognizing the Army’s birthday will include hundreds of tanks, about 7,000 soldiers, flyovers and more. It’s unclear how expected rainstorms in the D.C. area Saturday will impact the celebration, but Trump said it would not.
“It doesn’t affect the tanks at all, it doesn’t affect the soldiers. They’re used to it,” Trump said. “They’re tough, smart.”
Across the U.S., the No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance will take place “during Donald Trump’s military parade,” as the event is being billed by Indivisible, a grassroots progressive movement. Hundreds are planned, including in every U.S. state.
The Day of Defiance comprises dozens of progressive grassroots organizations and unions, including the American Federation of Teachers and Planned Parenthood. The movement says it is comprised of “pro-democracy and pro-worker movements” and activists.
“Instead of allowing this military parade to be the center of gravity, activists will make action everywhere else the story of America that day,” according to a release from Indivisible.
The group says activists nationwide “will come together for marches, rallies, and demonstrations to reject corrupt, authoritarian politics in the United States,” adding that the protests are modeled after “Hands Off!” and May Day demonstrations.
The organizers accuse the president of holding the military parade to celebrate himself, comparing his actions to that of a king.
“Donald Trump wants tanks in the streets and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday,” according to No Kings. “A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington – it rises up everywhere else. June 14th is also the U.S. Army’s birthday – a day that marks when Americans first organized to stand up to a king. Trump isn’t honoring that legacy. He’s hijacking it to celebrate himself.”
When asked about the planned No Kings Day protests, Trump said he doesn’t “feel like a king.”
“I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get things approved,” Trump said, an apparent reference to Congressional approval needed for some of his executive actions and courts blocking his directives after being challenged through lawsuits.
While organizers of the protests say the parade is meant to boost the president’s “ego,” Trump emphasizes that it is meant to honor the Army and highlight its history.
“This parade salutes our soldiers’ remarkable strength and unbeatable spirit,” Trump said in a promotional video on Thursday of last week. “You won’t want to miss it. I think it’s going to be better and bigger than any parade we’ve ever had in this country.”
According to White House communications, “Attendees will experience 250 years of Army heritage through historical U.S. Army personnel reenactors, period-accurate equipment, vehicles, impressive flyovers, and military bands participating in the landmark event.”
Despite the parade being held in Washington D.C., the group opted not to hold a competing event there. Instead, it is hosting one of its major protests in Philadelphia. However, an interactive map on the No Kings website shows several events to be held around the Beltway.
While the demonstrations come on the heels of violent protests in Los Angeles, Seattle and elsewhere, the events have been planned as early as the first of May. The group says it is committed to “nonviolent action,” urging its participants to “deescalate any potential confrontation.”
That hasn’t stopped some states and localities from beefing up security, however.
For example, in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott surged law enforcement resources statewide for the planned protests there.
“Peaceful protests are part of the fabric of our nation, but Texas will not tolerate the lawlessness we have seen in Los Angeles in response to President Donald Trump’s enforcement of immigration law,” Abbott said, The Center Square reported.
• Dan McCaleb contributed to this report, an earlier version of which published Tuesday.
