Trump to travel to Fort Bragg in kickoff to Army’s 250th: ‘No military like our military’

President Trump is set to travel to Fort Bragg on Tuesday to address troops and kick off a celebration for the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, which will culminate in a “Grand Military Parade” in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Trump will be joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the North Carolina base, and the pair are set to meet with “soldiers and military families and observe training and activities,” according to a Defense Department memo. Trump is expected to deliver remarks at 4 p.m.

The large military base was renamed Fort Liberty under the Biden administration before the Trump administration returned to calling it Fort Bragg in February. 

Trump’s Tuesday remarks are expected to set the tone for Saturday’s military parade, which could draw a crowd of hundreds of thousands in the nation’s capital.

“We’re preparing for an enormous turnout, hundreds of thousands of attendees,” Secret Service special agent Matt McCool told reporters on Monday. “We are deploying thousands of agents, officers, and specialists from across the country, backed by the robust network of federal, state, and local partners.” 

The parade, which is on Flag Day, coincides with Trump’s birthday – which critics have painted as Trump throwing himself a party. Critics have also raised concerns about the cost of the parade, which may reportedly be up to $45 million. 

Trump dismissed those concerns Monday, telling reporters that a lot of the costs would be “paid for by me and people who make donations.” 

He also responded to criticism of the parade coinciding with his own birthday: “It is my birthday, but I’m not celebrating my birthday, I’m celebrating Flag Day,” he said. “It happens to be the same day so I take a little heat, but Flag Day is the appropriate date.” 

“I think it’s time to celebrate our military,” Trump said on Monday. “We have a military the likes of which nobody has, nobody comes close. We have the best equipment in the world, we make the best equipment in the world. There’s no military like our military.” 

In a preview of the parade last week, Trump dubbed the event as a “once in a lifetime celebration” and “one like you’ve never seen before.”

“We’re honoring the 250th anniversary of the greatest fighting force in history, the United States Army,” Trump said in a video statement. “We will celebrate a spectacular military parade in Washington, D.C. like no other. For two and a half centuries the men and women of America’s army have dominated our enemies and protected our freedom at home. This parade salutes our soldiers’ remarkable strength and unbeatable spirit.” 

Describing the parade, he added that “thundering tanks and breathtaking flyovers will roar through our capital city as nearly 7,000 soldiers march in historic uniforms from every major war since the revolution.”