‘Celebrating big’: Trump, Grand Military Parade honor 250 years of US Army 

A Saturday full of patriotic activities in Washington, D.C., culminated in a “Grand Military Parade” of American soldiers, tanks and flyovers in a celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. 

The festivities, which attracted tens of thousands of spectators, coincided with Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s 79^th birthday. Chants of “USA” were frequent and some sang “Happy Birthday” to the president.

Trump told The Lion earlier in the week “we’re going to be celebrating big on Saturday.” 

“I just think it’s amazing, we’re going to have a fantastic June 14th parade, Flag Day,” Trump said from behind his desk in the Oval Office. “We have planes, we have all sorts of things, and I think it’s going to be great. We’re going to celebrate our country for a change.” 

The parade was historic in more ways than one, as aircraft, artillery and soldiers dressed in uniforms from various periods of American history were featured.

The president, who sat between First Lady Melania Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, frequently stood to salute troops as they were introduced by a public address announcer, who also explained the historical significance of various divisions and featured armaments.

At one point, Trump swore in 250 new recruits and returning soldiers.

At the end of the parade, Vice President JD Vance, a former marine, gave brief remarks before introducing Trump, who spoke for about eight minutes.

“Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did, too,” Trump said. “Watching this magnificent display, our souls are filled with gratitude for every generation of warriors who have worn the uniform all the way back to the very beginning, so to every veteran across our land and right here in our nation’s capital, including six recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor: We love you. We honor you. And we salute your noble service to our flag and to our country.”

Trump favorite Lee Greenwood performed “God Bless the USA,” which inspired chants of “USA” from the crowd. The celebration concluded with a lengthy fireworks show punctuated by the United States Army Chorus, singing a medley that included “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful.”

Elsewhere in the nation’s capital and in cities around the nation, protesters took to the streets under the banner of “No Kings” in opposition to Trump.

The well-funded protests have been organized for weeks, led by Indivisible, an organization headed by Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, and other far-left organizations. In a speech Saturday, Levin likened his resistance to Trump to that of early American colonists to the British monarchy. The speech omitted any mention of Trump’s decisive election victory in November, which many observers say was won on the policy positions currently opposed by the protesters.

Meanwhile, a manhunt is underway in Minnesota after a gunman impersonating a police officer shot two state lawmakers and their spouses.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is the prime suspect in the early Saturday morning shootings that killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Gov. Tim Walz called the attacks politically motivated.

Featured Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP (used under license)