‘I don’t feel like a king’: Trump fulfills his dream of a military parade on his birthday amid protests

The tanks have already arrived in Washington. On Friday, curious onlookers and tourists took photos with the armored vehicles on the National Mall, the major political, civic, and cultural artery in the heart of the nation’s capital. President Donald Trump turns 79 this Saturday and has gifted himself a military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Trump was dazzled in 2018 when he attended France’s Bastille Day parade on July 14, 2017, invited by President Emmanuel Macron, and now he is fulfilling his dream. Weather forecasts, which predict rain for Saturday, along with hundreds of protests planned across the country under the slogan “No Kings”, threaten to overshadow the first military parade in Washington in decades.

“I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get things approved,” Trump said at the White House on Thursday when asked about the protests, before finishing with a royal-sounding plural: “No, no, no, we are not a king.”

Trump has pushed the limits of executive power, infringes on the authority of other branches, ignores laws, and retaliates against political enemies and critical media. He is not an absolute monarch, of course, but he has embarked on a troubling authoritarian drift, with recent chapters including the deployment of troops to Los Angeles and the threat of using force to suppress protests against Saturday’s parade.

Many democratic countries hold military parades, including France and Spain, but it is not something usually done in Washington. The last one was held to mark the end of the Gulf War, during George W. Bush’s administration. Critics compare Trump’s military display to those dedicated to dictators like Russian Vladimir Putin or North Korean Kim Jong-un, with whom Trump prides himself on having a good relationship.

The fact that he took advantage of the coincidence between the military anniversary and his birthday — “it’s not my birthday, although it is my birthday, but I’m not celebrating my birthday,” he said — adds to the controversy. More important than that coincidence is that Trump has broken the tradition of keeping the Armed Forces out of politics. Just this Tuesday, he gave a rally-style speech at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina. Furthermore, the deployment of 4,000 National Guard members and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles is more part of his political struggle with California Governor Gavin Newsom than a response to any actual need for their presence.

“This military escalation only confirms what we’ve known: this government wants to rule by force, not serve the people,” said No Kings, a coalition of dozens of civil rights organizations, in a statement. “From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like," they added.

“They’ve defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too far. No thrones. No crowns. No kings,” states the call for the approximately 1,800 demonstrations organized across the country as a protest on the day of the parade.

Storm over Washington

Alongside the political storm, there will also be an actual storm. Rain, lightning, and thunder are forecast for Saturday afternoon in Washington, which could disrupt or dampen what Trump wants to be a grand spectacle — much like his political career (and before that, in business and entertainment). Trump said Thursday at the White House that he hopes for good weather, but if not, “it’s no big deal.” “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect the tanks at all. It doesn’t affect the soldiers. They’re used to it,” he stated. However, an untimely thunderstorm could ground aircraft flights and cancel the closing parachute display, as well as discourage public attendance.

Part of the events will have the flavor of Trump rallies, including a performance by one of his favorite singers, Lee Greenwood, who will sing God Bless the USA, the Republican’s preferred anthem for making an entrance at his party events.

About 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles, and 50 helicopters are expected to participate, following a route from near the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, to the National Mall area. The tanks are expected to cause damage to Constitution Avenue. It’s tempting to see it as a metaphor.