As Washington, D.C., prepares for the June 14 military parade to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday, President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that anyone who wants to protest the event “will be met with very big force.”
The parade, which also falls on Trump’s 79th birthday, will feature tanks, helicopters, and thousands of troops marching in uniforms that represent periods going all the way back to the Revolutionary War, NBC Washington reported. Nationwide protests, including in cities surrounding D.C., are planned for Saturday to counter the Army parade, according to Axios.
Going by the name “No Kings,” the demonstration organizers hope to attract protesters in 1,500 cities across the country and all 50 states. However, no “No Kings” protest is planned for D.C., as the organizers said they want to “create contrast, not conflict.”
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “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 said, adding, “And I haven’t even heard about a protest, but you know, [these are] people who hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”
.@POTUS on this weekend's Army 250 Celebration in D.C.: "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." pic.twitter.com/b1rCFuJI9x
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 10, 2025
Trump’s comments on the upcoming military parade come after he deployed thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles in response to anti-ICE riots that started over the weekend. The president also said on Tuesday that his actions to mobilize the military to L.A. kept the city from “burning to the ground.”
California sued Trump over his move to send in the National Guard, arguing that it infringed on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s power and that Trump’s move was “a manufactured crisis.” During his gaggle with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump defended his decision, saying he didn’t want to repeat the approach he took during the riots in the summer of 2020, which broke out following the death of George Floyd while in police custody.
“I’ve been here before, and I went right by every rule. And I waited for governors to say, ‘Send in the National Guard.’ They wouldn’t do it, they just wouldn’t do it, and it kept going on and on. It got worse and worse, and in Minneapolis, that city was burning down.”
“I said to myself, ‘If that stuff happens again, we’ve got to make faster decisions,'” the president added.
"I've been here before and I went right by every rule," says @POTUS on deploying the National Guard.
"I waited for governors to say, 'Send in the National Guard'. They wouldn't do it … I said to myself, 'If that stuff happens again, we've got to make faster decisions.'" pic.twitter.com/bQAaIkbSCn
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 10, 2025