All three of the main broadcast networks suggested that President Trump’s decision to put on a Saturday parade for the Army’s 250th birthday was a waste of money, but only Friday’s NBC Nightly News went so far as to compare it to “North Korea and Russia.”
Kelly O’Donnell reported that the parade would include “7,000 soldiers, 150 Army vehicles, and more than 60 aircraft expected to draw thousands of visitors, and the potential for protests.”
She also focused on the security preparations, “Barriers are a big part of protection here. From concrete bollards to anti-scale fencing, 18.5 miles of this is going up around key parts of the city.”
All that led her to declare, “The spectacle is also a source of controversy. The cost, up to $45 million. Lawmakers of both parties bristled.”
After clips from Sens. Richard Blumenthal and John Kennedy, O’Donnell continued, “The optics at issue too for an American democracy. Military pageantry like this typically seen in places like North Korea and Russia.”
Following another clip from Sen. Rand Paul, O’Donnell concluded, “A show of force in a peacetime setting generating a very American sense of skepticism and celebration.”
The irony is that Trump’s desire to have a big military parade dates back to his first term when he visited France and witnessed their Bastille Day parade. Perhaps O’Donnell could’ve told the “No Kings” movement that France is a democracy and Bastille Day was a key event in the French Revolution that ultimately saw the French literally behead their king. While George III kept his head, he did lose his colonies. If nothing else, the existence of the parade will hopefully cause the American people to reflect on the history of their army.
Here is a transcript for the June 13 show:
NBC Nightly News With Tom Llamas
6/13/2025
7:41 PM ET
KELLY O’DONNELL: Seven thousand soldiers, 150 Army vehicles, and more than 60 aircraft expected to draw thousands of visitors, and the potential for protests.
Barriers are a big part of protection here. From concrete bollards to anti-scale fencing, 18.5 miles of this is going up around key parts of the city.
The spectacle is also a source of controversy. The cost, up to $45 million. Lawmakers of both parties bristled.
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL: I'm most disturbed by the extravagance.
JOHN KENNEDY: Everybody else in the jungle knows, and we're a lion. I would save the money.
O’DONNELL: The optics at issue too for an American democracy. Military pageantry like this typically seen in places like North Korea and Russia.
RAND PAUL: I’m worried about the image. That it isn’t necessarily the best image to show.
O’DONNELL: A show of force in a peacetime setting generating a very American sense of skepticism and celebration.