President Donald Trump is throwing himself a parade, while the Los Angeles riots rage on, and the U.S. economy continues its downward spiral because of his tariffs, regardless of any trade deals signed. However, it looks like Trump is patting himself on the back nonetheless.
A massive military parade is set to bring thousands to Washington, D.C., to mark the Army’s 250th birthday on June 14 — the same day as President Trump’s 79th birthday.
“We will celebrate a spectacular military parade in Washington, D.C., like no other,” Trump said on his social media site last week, touting a parade that’s “gonna be better and bigger than any parade we’ve ever had in this country.”
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After going on about wasteful spending and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts that left thousands of federal employees out of a job, it seems rather distasteful that the president is undoing all that work and all those dollars saved, by splurging on a big birthday parade for himself.
The Army has estimated more than 6,000 soldiers will participate in the event — an all-day ordeal that’s expected to include a fitness competition, festival and parade complete with tanks and infantry vehicles, helicopter flyovers and parachute jumps.
The parade is scheduled to be on June 14 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time — and is a part of a day of events that goes from 8:30 a.m. until around 10 p.m.
The day is set to begin with Army senior leaders laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington National Cemetery. After that, a fitness competition will go from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
With what is happening in LA right now, a military parade is very ill-advised. First, the U.S. military is a nonpartisan institution, and using it to celebrate a personal occasion—especially a birthday—risks politicizing the armed forces. This would undermine longstanding American norms that emphasize civilian control and nonpartisanship in military matters.
Second, such a display would appear self-aggrandizing. Military parades in the U.S. have historically marked national victories or honored the service of troops—not individual political figures. A birthday parade would likely be seen as more about personal vanity than national pride.
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Third, it would be a poor use of taxpayer money. Full-scale military parades are expensive, requiring significant resources, logistics, and security. Funding such an event for a private celebration rather than a national occasion could prompt backlash, especially at a time when Americans expect fiscal responsibility.
Lastly, it risks sending the wrong message internationally. In many authoritarian regimes, military parades are tools of propaganda and personal glorification. A birthday parade could be perceived as mimicking those regimes, eroding America’s democratic image and inviting domestic and global criticism. Such an event would likely do more harm than good to both public trust and U.S. credibility.