Topline

As President Donald Trump prepares to attend an unprecedented military-style parade in Washington, D.C. later today—commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday—millions across the country are expected to protest, rallying against his expanded immigration raids and a spending bill projected to slash healthcare access for millions.

The parade is expected to begin at 6:30 p.m. local time by the Lincoln Memorial, with plans to continue down Constitution Ave. along the National Mall, past the White House and the Washington Monument and concluding with Trump’s birthday festival at 8 p.m., according to an official map for the event found on the Army’s website (see below). A White House spokesperson told NBC News that showers and thunderstorms could delay the event, with most of the day expected to be dry and cloudy. Organizers have said that the parade will go forward “rain or shine,” CBS News reports. Most major broadcast and cable news outlets, as well as the Army, plan to stream the march live.

The scheduled large-scale protests against the parade, part of a “national day of defiance” that over 100 civil rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and 50501 are labeling “No Kings,” have been planned across more than 2,000 cities and towns, according to The Guardian. News outlets report that the largest demonstrations are anticipated to take place in New York, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Phoenix.

Only in Texas, where Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the deployment of more than 5,000 Texas National Guard troops on Thursday, as well as over 2,000 state police, to “maintain order at these protests,” he posted on X. In Mississippi, nearly 280 National Guard members were activated, but to help security in D.C. Nearly 4,000 guard members and 700 Marines have been deployed to Los Angeles since the beginning of the protests there.

WTOP News reported “tight security” in place for Saturday’s festival and parade, with separate security entrances for each event. A Secret Service agent told WTOP there will be 18-and-a-half miles of antiscale fencing, 17 miles of bike racks, concrete barriers, 175 magnetometers and officers from federal, state and local agencies.