Latest news with #Army250th
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans Reveal Their Excuses to be Anywhere But Trump's Birthday Parade
President Donald Trump has been hyping his military parade ahead of tanks rolling through Washington, D.C. on Saturday, but many Republican lawmakers are not sticking around. The parade is billed as a celebration of the Army's 250th anniversary, but it also happens to fall on the president's 79th birthday. The Daily Beast reached out to dozens of GOP lawmakers to see who would be in attendance, and few signaled they would show up despite Trump touting an 'incredible' display. Senators are mostly heading home to their states for the weekend. Few offered up reasons why they would not be sticking in the nation's capital, but for some, it is work-related, while others had personal obligations. Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan was traveling for a funeral. Senator Pete Ricketts was heading back to Nebraska, where the College World Series is starting this weekend in Omaha, while Senator Roger Wicker will be heading to the Paris Air Show. Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is running for governor and told reporters he would be back in his home state campaigning. Senator Markwayne Mullin is a close ally of Trump, but he is celebrating his wedding anniversary this weekend. That meant heading back to Oklahoma to be with his wife and children. Among Senate leadership, neither Senate Majority Leader John Thune nor Whip John Barrasso plans to make an appearance. Leading up to the extravaganza, several GOP senators even questioned whether the parade, which could cost as much as $45 million according to the army, should take place at all. 'The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history. We're a lion, and a lion doesn't have to tell you it's a lion,' said Louisiana Senator John Kennedy. 'I would save the money, but if the president wants to have a parade, he's the president, and I'm not.' Senator Rand Paul said he has 'never been a fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street' and likened the expected imagery to the Soviet Union and North Korea. One senator who will be in attendance is Senator Roger Marshall. His office said he would be welcoming troops in Washington, D.C., from Fort Riley in Kansas. On the House side, excitement was also lacking. Politico surveyed 50 Republican lawmakers and found only seven said they would attend. Among those who would be appearing are MAGA favorite Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. 'The Congresswoman was invited by the President to attend the parade honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States Army and, as a Nationalist, she is honored to attend,' her office told the Daily Beast in a statement. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not be at the parade because of family business. He told reporters he was moving from his family home and downsizing, so he had to 'go do that unfortunately.' GOP lawmakers heading out of town could be avoiding some nasty weather. The forecast in Washington on Saturday indicates a 65 percent chance of rain, including thunderstorms. But the president indicated Thursday evening that he won't let anything rain on his parade. 'I hope the weather's okay, but actually if it's not, that brings you good luck,' Trump said. 'That's ok too, doesn't matter. It doesn't affect the tanks at all. It doesn't affect the soldiers. They're used to it. They're tough.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
MSNBC hosts highlight lack of 'dark, malevolent energy' at military parade in DC
MSNBC hosts Ali Velshi and Chris Hayes appeared surprised on Saturday that the military parade event in Washington, D.C., wasn't giving off "dark, malevolent energy," which they said was often the case at President Donald Trump's rallies. "One thing I will say, I want to go back to you, Ali, that, again, when we talk about the sort of tension in the country, and sometimes, you know, you and I have both been at Trump rallies, those can be very tense, a kind of, I would say, like kind of a dark, malevolent energy, sometimes in them, not always, but it doesn't seem like that's the energy on the Mall today, which I think is a good sign, right?" Hayes asked Velshi. The military parade on Saturday honored the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which also coincided with Trump's 79th birthday. However, the parade came as riots and protests continue in Los Angeles and across the country over the Trump administration's policies. "Correct. You're really correct about that, Chris, and it's something we were watching for. I'm just sort of surprised by the number of people who were at the front of the parade watching, cheering, and then would come and ask to take a selfie. This is a very different, this is a very different mood here. People seem to be going out of their way to say that they're here to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday," Velshi said. Military Parade Draws Patriotic Americans From Near And Far: 'No Better Time To Come To Dc' Velshi said that politicization was still present at the event, but that it wasn't dark or tense. Read On The Fox News App "Now, there are people walking around with signs. Moments ago, while you were talking to Jen, a guy just came around and said, 'Trump 2028!' and I said, 'How does that work exactly?' and he was, like, laughing and had a big flag on him. So there's some politicization here, but it's not dark, it's not tense, it's not amped up. It's different. It's different from covering a Trump rally," he continued. Hayes brought up "exuberant" protests across the nation in small towns and asked MSNBC host Jen Psaki about the country's "civic culture." Liberal Media Melts Down Over Trump's Military Parade Plan, Calling It 'Authoritarian' "There's sort of a feeling of hope, I think, and this speaks to what Ali is sort of experiencing, is that the country's civic culture and democratic culture is actually quite strong and sort of is an enormous asset that we have when we compare ourselves to other places. There genuinely is a democratic and civic culture in this country that I think, I think, most Americans still hang on to," he said. MSNBC's Jen Psaki said it was "encouraging" to hear that "there is a calm and that it isn't overly exercised among the people attending." However, Psaki said the calm may shift depending on what President Trump said during his speech at the parade. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "People who have never participated in protests or have never seen themselves as part of an activist movement are out there today, right? They're out there with their kids and their 98-year-old mothers, and that tells you how people feel moved in this moment. So, that is a part of our environment, that is a part of who we are as a country, and today is an example of that. And let's certainly all hope that that continues at this event this evening," the MSNBC host article source: MSNBC hosts highlight lack of 'dark, malevolent energy' at military parade in DC
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
MSNBC hosts highlight lack of 'dark, malevolent energy' at military parade in DC
MSNBC hosts Ali Velshi and Chris Hayes appeared surprised on Saturday that the military parade event in Washington, D.C., wasn't giving off "dark, malevolent energy," which they said was often the case at President Donald Trump's rallies. "One thing I will say, I want to go back to you, Ali, that, again, when we talk about the sort of tension in the country, and sometimes, you know, you and I have both been at Trump rallies, those can be very tense, a kind of, I would say, like kind of a dark, malevolent energy, sometimes in them, not always, but it doesn't seem like that's the energy on the Mall today, which I think is a good sign, right?" Hayes asked Velshi. The military parade on Saturday honored the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which also coincided with Trump's 79th birthday. However, the parade came as riots and protests continue in Los Angeles and across the country over the Trump administration's policies. "Correct. You're really correct about that, Chris, and it's something we were watching for. I'm just sort of surprised by the number of people who were at the front of the parade watching, cheering, and then would come and ask to take a selfie. This is a very different, this is a very different mood here. People seem to be going out of their way to say that they're here to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday," Velshi said. Velshi said that politicization was still present at the event, but that it wasn't dark or tense. "Now, there are people walking around with signs. Moments ago, while you were talking to Jen, a guy just came around and said, 'Trump 2028!' and I said, 'How does that work exactly?' and he was, like, laughing and had a big flag on him. So there's some politicization here, but it's not dark, it's not tense, it's not amped up. It's different. It's different from covering a Trump rally," he continued. Hayes brought up "exuberant" protests across the nation in small towns and asked MSNBC host Jen Psaki about the country's "civic culture." "There's sort of a feeling of hope, I think, and this speaks to what Ali is sort of experiencing, is that the country's civic culture and democratic culture is actually quite strong and sort of is an enormous asset that we have when we compare ourselves to other places. There genuinely is a democratic and civic culture in this country that I think, I think, most Americans still hang on to," he said. MSNBC's Jen Psaki said it was "encouraging" to hear that "there is a calm and that it isn't overly exercised among the people attending." However, Psaki said the calm may shift depending on what President Trump said during his speech at the parade. "People who have never participated in protests or have never seen themselves as part of an activist movement are out there today, right? They're out there with their kids and their 98-year-old mothers, and that tells you how people feel moved in this moment. So, that is a part of our environment, that is a part of who we are as a country, and today is an example of that. And let's certainly all hope that that continues at this event this evening," the MSNBC host said.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
A day after Trump's military parade, a quiet return to normalcy
The day after tanks and soldiers paraded through Washington and protesters poured into streets across the country, cleanup crews on Sunday moved the nation's capital back toward normalcy — their vehicles clanging, banging and beeping as they disassembled the setting of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary celebration.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘It's about time': Trump boasts about American military success as he celebrates birthday at DC parade
President Donald Trump boasted that it's "about time" America celebrated its military success while addressing troops and the crowd at the parade in Washington, D.C. "Every other country celebrates their victories," Trump told soldiers at the parade to mark the Army's 250th anniversary. "It's about time America did too." The president talked up the might of the U.S. Army in his speech, which clocked in at 8 minutes—considerably shorter than most of his public addresses. The D.C. parade has long been a desire of Trump and the event coincided with the president's 79th birthday. "We're the hottest country in the world right now," Trump said. "If you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you." Tanks rolled by Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, their family and U.S. officials on a dark and cloudy evening in D.C. More than 6,000 troops marched in front of the president near the National Mall. Crowds came out to watch the event that was capped with fireworks and there were no disruptions to the parade. Flash floods and thunderstorms were forecast in the capital, but Trump vowed to go ahead come 'rain or shine.' The president waved to the crowd and pumped his fist on arrival as people chanted 'USA! USA!' He walked onto the viewing gallery to a mix of 'Hail to the Chief' and 'Happy Birthday.' The parade told the Army's story, starting with the Battle of Lexington — the first battle of the Revolutionary War — to today. Each conflict had 150 troops in period costume, followed by a section of hundreds of troops in modern-day dress. Parachuters descended from the sky at the opening of the parade, as red smoke streaked across the sky. The spectacle was expected to cost between $25 million and $45 million, according to Army spokesperson Heather J. Hagan. While there are bipartisan concerns about the cost, it's not the biggest U.S. military parade that has been held. President Andrew Johnson appears to still hold that record, set when his 'Grand Review of the Armies' marked the end of the Civil War. That show of force in 1865, meant to salve a war-weary nation, included 145,000 soldiers marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump's parade follows a day of nationwide protests where hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in more than 2,000 cities and small towns to demonstrate against Trump and his administration. The 'No Kings' demonstrations were organized to deliberately clash with the president's celebrations in Washington, D.C. Organizers avoided D.C. and held a flagship march in Philadelphia 'to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington,' according to the group's website. Trump, meanwhile, threatened to meet protesters at his parade with 'very big force.' 'And I haven't even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force,' he told reporters at the Oval Office this week. Trump's director of communications, Steven Cheung, mocked the protests on X. 'The so-called No Kings protests have been a complete and utter failure with minuscule attendance,' Cheung said. 'It is sad Democrats and liberals would rather support criminals and illegals instead of celebrating the 250th anniversary of our great U.S. Army and Flag Day. But many more Americans are commemorating our brave military men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice and who those continue to serve our country.' AP contributed reporting
