Donald Trump’s military parade yesterday was supposed to show the strength and power of the States, but not everyone was impressed – with some even branding it ‘humiliating’ and ‘lacklustre’.
The pageant, which marked the 250th anniversary of the US army, and also took place on the President’s 79th birthday, received a lukewarm reaction after soldiers were shown marching out of lockstep in front of ‘tiny’ crowds.
Viewers posted photos of sparse crowds on social media, and even seemingly disinterested soldiers as they processed through Washington.
Some even mocked the parade as a knock-off version of awesome displays put on in autocracies such as North Korea.
Veteran Christopher David gave a damning verdict on the quality of the procession.
He posted on X: ‘I’ve marched in more military parades than I even care to remember. Probably watched dozens more as a spectator. And this is easily the worst and sloppiest marching I’ve ever witnessed at a formal military parade. It feels like a big “f*** you” to Trump from the soldiers.’
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
More than 6,600 soldiers were joined by tanks and robot dogs on the march down Constitution Avenue as well as military aircraft in what was the first event of its kind in the US since 1991.
Attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend, and there were large gaps between viewers near the Washington Monument.
Even Trump himself was shown on a clip appearing to look downcast and bored as he watched the parade alongside his wife Melania.
But the lack of crowds could be partly down to the weather, with humid conditions and the threat of thunderstorms dampening turnout.
Not everyone was underwhelmed: Larry Stallard, a retired American Airlines pilot, said he travelled from Kansas City for the weekend ‘to see the military and see Trump.’
The Republican voter said it was ‘hard to believe’ people were upset about the cost of the event when ‘they blow that in 10 seconds on things that we don’t even need’.
The parade had been criticised for costing up to 45 million dollars (£33 million), as well as the possibility that the heavy tanks could tear up city streets.
About six in 10 Americans said it was ‘not a good use’ of government money, according to a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research.
The low turnout at the display was contrasted with huge crowds at ‘No Kings’ protests held around the country on Saturday, planned to coincide with the military parade.
These were protests against what they see as the concentration of power in one leader’s hands, claiming that Trump has overstepped the limits of presidential authority.
Large crowds were seen in major cities including Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Houston.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.