


A storm approaching Washington, D.C., from the north is threatening to rain on President Donald Trump’s grand military parade celebrating the Army’s 250th birthday.
Forecasters say a storm, although not expected to be severe, is developing and could pop up in the nation’s capital on June 13, the day the multi-million dollar parade is expected to draw over 200,000 attendees.
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Army spokesperson Steve Warren told The Times on Thursday that if the storm includes lightning, officials will be forced to disperse crowds, “and even cancel or postpone the parade.”
However, the America250 commission, which is helping organize the event, said on Friday that the parade is still on as planned.
“The weather is being closely monitored and taken into consideration, but at this point nothing has changed. New developments, if any, will be announced by the Army or the America250 Commission,” the group said.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Washington Examiner that no matter the weather, there will be a celebration to mark the Army’s big milestone, which also happens to fall on Trump’s 79th birthday.
“Any changes to the Army Birthday Parade will be announced by the Department of Defense or America 250 Commission. No matter what, a historic celebration of our military servicemembers will take place!” the spokeswoman said.
The parade on Saturday is set to cap a week of celebrations observing the Army’s 250th birthday. It is expected to be the biggest such event in over three decades, featuring historic fighter planes, at least 50 helicopters flying overhead, a parachute demonstration, thousands of soldiers in period uniforms, horses, a host of bands, and over 100 historic armored vehicles, including iconic Abrams tanks and P-51 Mustangs.
The event is set to end with a fireworks display at dusk.
Trump critics have billed the event as an authoritarian display of power, citing his administration’s recent sweeps of illegal immigrants in Los Angeles, which sparked anti-ICE riots, as yet another “gross abuse of power this Administration has shown.”
As the parade takes place on Saturday, protestors across the country are set to take to the streets for the anti-Trump “No Kings” demonstrations.
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Red states, including the governors of Texas, South Carolina, Utah, and Florida, have vowed to quell any violence similar to the California riots with severe shows of force.
“Peaceful protests are part of our democracy, but the key word in that is ‘peaceful,’” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said alongside a press conference with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Thursday. “If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at because we will kill you graveyard dead. We are not going to play.”