By Dan Rather
For all those who have served and sacrificed so much, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army is fitting. But the Army doesn’t need to celebrate Donald Trump. That’s what’s about to transpire in the shadow of the White House — a ridiculous, self-aggrandizing display that would look right at home in Moscow or Tiananmen Square. It should not happen here. Ever.
But with an ego that knows no bounds, Trump had ordered a dictator-like military parade up Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., today, which, not coincidentally, is his 79th birthday. What started out as a reasonably sized observance has grown into a North Korea-style show of military might.
“We [will] have a lot of those Army airplanes flying over the top, and we [will] have tanks all over the place. And we have thousands and thousands of soldiers going to bravely march down the streets. It’s going to be a beautiful day, I think,” Trump told reporters.
Trump stole the idea of a big, beautiful military parade after witnessing a Bastille Day fete in Paris during his first term. He’s been lobbying for one at home ever since. Who’s going to tell him? Bastille Day is a celebration of the French Revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy, which ended with the beheading of King Louis XVI.
Today’s day-long extravaganza on the National Mall will include the parade with 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles, including 28 M1 Abrams tanks, 50 helicopters, and seven marching bands. There will be a post-parade concert, parachutists, and fireworks, as well as a festival with demonstrations, equipment displays, and food trucks.
This “birthday party” doesn’t come cheap. As the Trump regime continues to cut lifesaving cancer research and veterans health insurance, it seems fine paying upward of $45 million for today’s events. That price tag is according to a U.S. Army spokesperson.
An important historical reminder: The current U.S. Army dates back to 1784. It was the Continental Army, its precursor, that was founded on June 14, 1775. The Continental Army, commanded by General George Washington, represented the original 13 colonies and fought the British, and their king, in the Revolutionary War.
So this commemoration includes the men and women who liberated the colonies from King George III, enabling the Founding Fathers to form a new representative democracy. These same framers were very concerned about keeping a standing army because of the threat it could pose to liberty and freedom. So it is testament to the institution and its leadership that it has prevailed for 250 years.
Trump’s latest fixation on all things military may have something to do with his dwindling poll numbers. The latest Quinnipiac poll, out Wednesday, has Trump’s approval rating 16 points underwater; 38% of registered voters approve of the job he is doing, while 54% disapprove.
On all major issues — immigration, deportations, trade, the economy, the Russia-Ukraine war, handling of universities — many more voters disapprove than approve. If the American people were voting on Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” the measure would go down in flames. Only 27% approve of it, with a paltry 10% believing Medicaid funding should be cut, all according to Quinnipiac.
When Trump’s poll numbers take a tumble, as they have this week, he often retaliates by changing the subject. So Trump exploited the Los Angeles protests. He federalized the National Guard against the wishes of California’s governor and the mayor of Los Angeles. Then he called in active-duty Marines to control Americans exercising their constitutional right to protest.
To be clear, some of the protests in Los Angeles included burning cars and the defacing of at least one federal building. State and local authorities didn’t handle it perfectly, but they didn’t need the overreaction of sending in military force. That was a political calculation designed to buttress Trump’s self-image of being tough on crime and immigrants and to make Democrats look “weak.”
On Tuesday, Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Fort Bragg for what turned out to be a campaign-style speech and rally. There was nothing nonpartisan about their appearance, including the audience, bumping up against the military’s long-standing commitment to political neutrality. What followed should give every American pause.
The crowd was curated by the White House. The soldiers, who flanked the stage and filled the audience, were handpicked for their political leanings and physical appearance. A communication with potential attendees asked for “no fat soldiers,” according to Military.com.
Another note to the Fort Bragg troops, according to the website said, “If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don’t want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out.”
So the mostly white, mostly male, exceptionally fit, pro-Trump troops booed when the president mentioned California Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Joe Biden, and the press. They whooped and roared as Trump and Hegseth talked about ridding the military of “woke garbage” and “political correctness,” and reverting more military bases to pro-Confederate names, as Hegseth did with Fort Bragg.
A Trump merchandise table, set up at the rally, was busy selling MAGA necklaces and fake credit cards emblazoned with the slogan “White Privilege Card: Trumps Everything.”
When men and women become members of the U.S. military, they take an oath, not to the president but to the Constitution. What happened at Fort Bragg didn’t just obliterate the lines between the military and partisan politics, it violated DoD directive 1344.10, which prohibits partisan political activity by active-duty service members.
The military’s biggest cheerleader (at least today) didn’t serve in Vietnam because of “bone spurs” and has repeatedly vilified our troops, calling them “suckers and losers.” But when service members are needed for a photo op or to prop up flagging poll numbers, all is forgiven, apparently.
Criticism of the rally has come from all quarters, including retired Army brass.
“Damn @POTUS. Speech At #FortBragg was inappropriate, criticizing previous administration, and generals while speaking to troops, I never witnessed that S..t like this in 37 years in Uniform,” Retired Lt. General Russel Honoré posted on social media.
But the Trump parade may be below the fold come Sunday. To counter his lavish spectacle, a pro-democracy organization has planned the “No Kings Day of Defiance,” which has grown into more than 2,000 planned rallies across all 50 states, the U.S. territories, Canada, South America, Europe, and Africa. Millions are expected to rally nonviolently against authoritarianism and for democracy.
Organizers chose Philadelphia as the location of their flagship rally, not D.C., because they want people “showing up where he isn’t.” It might also have something to do with the threats coming from the White House. “We’re going to be celebrating big on Saturday — and if there’s any protester that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,” Trump told reporters.
In this never-ending game of political optics, millions protesting Donald Trump all over the country and all over the world will surely outshine a hyped-up, made-for-TV military parade and fireworks show designed to further inflate an already overinflated ego.
Once upon a time, some 70 years ago, President Dwight Eisenhower was asked about holding military parades in this county to counter what the Soviets were doing in Moscow. According to presidential historian Michael Beschloss, Eisenhower nixed the idea.
He said the United States is the preeminent power on Earth. To try to imitate the Soviets would only make us look weak. Trump should take note. For a man obsessed with power, he, and we as a country, will be weaker.
