US President Donald Trump hosted the country's largest military parade in decades to mark his 79th birthday on Saturday. He hailed the United States as the "hottest country in the world" after watching tanks, aircraft and nearly 7,000 troops march past him in Washington to honour the 250th anniversary of the US army. The parade cost up to $45 million, the army stated.
But some spectators and online commentators pointed out that the parade lacked lustre, crowds, and even the army marched poorly. The last was seen by many as the soldiers' reluctance to participate in the event.
Economist and author Anders Åslund said the event was a "wonderful embarrassment for Trump". He said he was watching the military parade on BBC and France 24 and "as the French commentators point out, the American soldiers don't know how to march and don't seem enthusiastic about doing so for Trump," he wrote on X. Several other X users shared his sentiment.
Trump had openly dreamed since his first term as president of having a grand military parade, of the type more often seen in the Russian or North Korean capitals than in Washington. When it came, the US President stood and saluted on a stage outside the White House as tanks rumbled past, aircraft roared overhead and the troops marched past. Visuals of the general public stands, however, showed empty stands with only a handful of spectators cheering and waving flags. One X user called it "legitimately the worst executed mass attendance event" he has ever seen.
In India too, social media commentators have commented on poor marching at the Trump parade.
Smita Prakash, the editor of news agency ANI, called the event "listless". "This is how POW (prisoners of war) march," she said. Entrepreneur Abhishek Asthana, better known by his X moniker Gabbbar, wrote the soldiers were marching as if they were out to get some milk.
Several other X users pointed out that despite spending millions into Trump Parade, its turnout was much lower than that of the "No Kings" protest march organised against the US President's administration policies. Trump's parade on an overcast night in Washington came after hundreds of thousands of "No Kings" demonstrators thronged the streets in cities including New York, Philadelphia, Houston and Atlanta.
"No Kings" organisers said protesters gathered in hundreds of cities, with AFP journalists seeing large crowds in several cities. Organisers said they were protesting against Trump's dictatorial overreach, and in particular what they described as the strongman symbolism of the parade.
"I think people are mad as hell," Lindsay Ross, a 28-year-old musician, told AFP in New York, where tens of thousands of people rallied.
Some protesters targeted Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida -- while a small group even gathered in Paris.
"I think it's disgusting," protester Sarah Hargrave, 42, said in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, describing Trump's parade as a "display of authoritarianism."
(With inputs from AFP)
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
