Trump’s military parade:
MAGA from start to finish
The event was DEI-free, a cornucopia of hypocrisy and a national humiliation
By Irwin Rapoport
June 19, 2025
For those who did not watch last Saturday’s $45 million parade to celebrate American President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday – sorry, I meant the parade to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, let me assure you that it was a Trumpian/MAGA extravaganza from start to finish. It was as gaudy as the new gold-themed decor of the Oval Office.
It was weird, bizarre, surreal, and disturbing, and while only a few thousand people attended the authoritarian spectacle, an estimated four to six million participated in 2,169 “No Kings” demonstrations across the country, including one in Washington, D.C.
Like countless others, I was desperately hoping it would rain on Trump’s parade, which was a very real possibility based on the weather reports issued before the parade. Trump publicly blamed the low turnout on these reports, raging against the professionals who prepare weather forecasts and those condemning the event as a vanity project.
This video covers the event from before it started to the fireworks, with the Washington Monument in the background. And of course, Trump’s favourite singer, Lee Greenwood, was present to sing God Bless the U.S.A.
In this MSNBC segment, Rachel Maddow perfectly compared and contrasted the sizes of crowds for the parade and various demonstrations, praising the citizens who stood up for democracy.
So, let’s examine the parade.
Many political and military officials were seated within the large, covered reviewing stand. A bulletproof glass screen effectively shielded the president and Vice President J.D. Vance and his family, but those sitting in the top rows were not. Furthermore, two large Abrams tanks were placed in front of the reviewing stand to prevent any vehicles operated by anti-Trump soldiers from crashing into it.
None of the troops marching in the parade carried weapons. The lesson of the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during a military parade was taken to heart. I’m sure every one of the 6,000-plus soldiers, two mules and one dog, and military vehicles which took part were thoroughly searched, as well as the sparse audience and the parade route and grounds where people gathered.
As Trump was introduced and walked to his seat, a military band played Hail to the Chief, complete with a trumpet fanfare and an artillery salute.
Interspersed throughout the parade were videos featuring Trump speaking about the power and greatness of the Army, vignettes featuring the troops on various aspects of army life, and specialized units such as the Special Forces. This was purposely done to stress the president’s leadership and concerns for the Army’s personnel, confirming the basis of the “No Kings” protests.
The lesson of the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat during a military parade was taken to heart. I’m sure every one of the 6,000-plus soldiers, two mules and one dog, and military vehicles which took part were thoroughly searched, as well as the sparse audience and the parade route and grounds where people gathered.
It was at 1:59 in the parade video when Trump personally swore in troops who completed their basic training. The president relished this moment, which blurred the line between the Army being that of the nation and Trump’s personal military force, harkening back to the late Roman Republic when Gaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, and other generals personally raised and financed legions whose loyalty was to them and not the Republic.
Trump read the oath aloud, with the troops repeating it. This is the section that raised alarm bells: “And I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me according to regulations and the uniform code of military justice, so help me God.”
The oath started with loyalty to the Constitution and the nation, but Trump did his utmost to ensure it was a declaration of personal fealty to him.
Trump, being Trump, concluded the swearing in with this flourish: “Congratulations, congratulations. Welcome to the United States Army, and have a great life. Thank you very much and have a great life, thank you.”
The soldiers were ordered to participate and thus had no choice in being used as props to glorify the “God King,” an expression coined by Democratic podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen. Here is one of his post-parade podcasts, which ends with a speech he gave at the Los Angeles “No Kings” rally.
Vance addressed the crowd starting at 2:16, and he pronounced that the American Army was: “… as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Army, the oldest branch of the greatest fighting force known to man.” Trump echoed this thought at 2:19:34: “.. and above all, thank you to the greatest, fiercest, and bravest fighting force ever to stride the face of this Earth, the United States Army.”
The U.S. Army has fought bravely in many wars and battles, no question about that. However, the Catheginians, Gauls, and Numidians who gave the he Romans hard time for over twenty years might disagree with those statements, as would the Athenians who defeated the Persians at Marathon; the Macedonian infantry led by Alexander the Great who conquered the Persian Empire and fought their way to India and Afghanistan; the Roman legions led by many Republican commanders in wars in Gaul, Hispania, and Asia Minor and those led by the Emperor Trajan who conquered Dacia (Romania) in 106 AD and briefly defeated the Parthian Empire capturing a large section of Arabia to the shores of the Persian Gulf in 117 AD; and Genghis Khan and his talented Mongol cavalry that conquered China and the vast territories in Asia. The Mongols would later advance in Europe as far as Hungary.
During his speech, Trump, without blinking an eye, said: “ … So to every veteran across our land and right here in our nation’s capital, including six recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, we love you, we honor you, and we salute our noble service to our flag and to our country.”
Very nice words, but utterly insincere as Trump via Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has slashed funding for Veterans Affairs (VA) services and facilities that so many veterans and their families depend on, as well as firing thousands of veterans who worked for the VA and other government departments. This has been devastating and is driving many families to despair.
Trump continued with “as we celebrate tonight, we also think of the hundreds of thousands of Army soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for our nation and selflessly laid down their lives in every war from the Revolution to the war on terror.” He also described the conditions where the American soldiers fought across the globe in defence of their country and liberty.
‘Trump via Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has slashed funding for Veterans Affairs (VA) services and facilities that so many veterans and their families depend on, as well as firing thousands of veterans who worked for the VA and other government departments. This has been devastating and is driving many families to despair.’
These words, delivered by previous presidents, several of whom served in the military, would not have drawn the ire of veterans and their families. But in the case of Trump, they were hollow and from the lips of a coward who avoided being drafted and sent to Vietnam.
Lincoln Anthony Blades, in his 2017 article Donald Trump’s Military Cowardice Goes Beyond Five Deferrals/He continually disrespects those who have actually served, began with: “When I look at President Donald Trump, I see a pot-bellied, 71-year-old man with a doughy frame. But in 1968, when he was a 22-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate, Trump was a tall, fit athlete who played football, tennis, and golf. His age and clean medical history qualified Trump as a perfect candidate for the draft to serve in the United States Army and fight in the Vietnam War, but he avoided combat after receiving a 1-Y medical deferment, which he has said was due to “bone spurs in his heels.” More than half a million American men were stationed in Vietnam by the end of that year, which was the bloodiest 12 months of the conflict. On the day of Trump’s graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, 40 Americans were killed in Vietnam, according to The New York Times.”
“The son of Fred Trump, a wealthy New York real estate developer, Donald Trump did what many other wealthy young men were allowed to do: He dodged the draft. Between 1964 and 1972, a few months before the draft ended, he received five deferments – in addition to his “bone spurs” claim, the other four were based on his educational status. He received two deferments while he attended Fordham University from 1964 to 1966, and two more after transferring to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.”
As a draft dodger, Trump never knew the horrors of war, but in 1997, he laughed when telling radio host Howard Stern that avoiding sexually transmitted diseases was like his “personal Vietnam.” “It is a dangerous world out there. It’s scary, like Vietnam. Sort of like the Vietnam era,” Trump said to Stern, discussing his sex life. “I feel like a great and very brave soldier.”
* * * * *
Trump also referred to American soldiers killed during WWI as “suckers and losers“; dissed Senator John McCain for being captured when his plane was shot down over North Vietnam and spending several years as a prisoner-of-war; and refused to visit military graveyards in Europe.
‘The parade and media production were a total DEI-free zone. There was no mention of the African Americans who fought on the American side of the Revolutionary War, for the Union during the Civil War – more than 200,000 swelled the ranks, WWI, and WWII… Neither was there of the 20,000 Japanese Americans who served in the U.S. during WWII.’
The parade was a MAGA production, starting with a simplistic narration of the formation of the American Army when the Minutemen, a combination of farmers, merchants, and young men, quickly organized to thwart a large British force heading toward Lexington and Concord to seize gunpowder and arms.
Of course, no MAGA event would be without its corporate sponsors, and Trump did not disappoint. OK! Magazine gave us all the juicy details in Donald Trump’s Military Parade: Corporate Sponsors Steal the Show With Shout-Outs. From the article: “As the announcer introduced the Korean War-era uniforms, he suddenly pivoted to give a shout-out. ‘Special thanks to our sponsor – Coinbase,’ he proclaimed.”
Lockheed Martin also received an acknowledgment among the corporate patrons. According to The Wall Street Journal, 22 corporations and foundations supported the celebration, which took place on the National Mall.
General Dynamics and USAA served as the presenting sponsors for the festival. Additional supporters included the Gary Sinise Foundation, Bell Textron, Wounded Warrior Project, Walmart, GOVX, Leonardo DRS, RTX Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Leidos, Armed Forces Mutual, Boeing, First Command, General Electric Aerospace, T-Mobile, King George, InterContinental Hotels Group and the NFL.
The parade and media production were a total DEI-free zone. There was no mention of the African Americans who fought on the American side of the Revolutionary War, for the Union during the Civil War – more than 200,000 swelled the ranks, WWI, and WWII, where they faced discrimination from their white superiors, nor the heroism of the Tuskegee Airmen, whose famed squadron battled with Luftwaffe fighters to protect bomber crews returning from air raids over Germany and piloted bombers over the skies of the Third Reich.
Neither was there one of the 20,000 Japanese Americans who served in the U.S. during WWII. The Wikipedia page for Japanese-American service in World War II states: “The 100th Battalion and the 442nd Infantry Regiment became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. The related 522nd Field Artillery Battalion liberated one or more subcamps of the infamous Dachau concentration camp. Other Japanese-American units also included the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service.”
‘The parade should never have occurred, but the Army brass could have put forward a concerted effort to honour its history and those who have served and continue to serve, rather than simply provide the soldiers and military equipment to be pawns in Trump’s glorification.’
Japanese soldiers fighting in Europe sustained serious casualties, and despite the internment of their community in camps following the attack on Pearl Harbour, they bravely served their country.
To add insult to injury, there was no mention of how the Army played a key role in the post-WWII desegregation initiative to end discrimination. Before that, African Americans served in segregated regiments and experienced various forms of racial biases daily. It took many years for discrimination in the American armed forces to be largely vanquished.
It would have been refreshing to have veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the campaigns in the Middle East and Afghanistan to speak, along with the parents and siblings of fallen soldiers.
The parade should never have occurred, but the Army brass could have put forward a concerted effort to honour its history and those who have served and continue to serve, rather than simply provide the soldiers and military equipment to be pawns in Trump’s glorification.
The parade contained countless absurdities and embarresments, such as the robot dogs carrying flags, a soldier holding up a drone, the mix of rock and roll music played in the background as the troops marched, the country band that took the stage after the president and vice president spoke, and the soldiers who donned military uniforms from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI and WWII, battle fatigues from the Vietnam War, and camouflaged clothing worn by those in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Many who viewed the spectacle felt sorry for the troops dragooned in “Operation Trump.”
I must admit that watching the parade was painful, and after a while, it was unbearable. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was caught yawning, and at one point, Trump fell asleep. If you are looking for a challenge, I dare you to watch all three hours and three minutes.
The money spent on the parade should have been used to support veterans and their families, as well as funding programs to record the memories of soldiers who fought in America’s wars and have veterans speak at schools on Memorial Day, recounting their experiences.
Via this parade, Trump not only embarrassed himself, but the nation. Will he hold a similar parade to honour the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy later this year and the 250th anniversary of America’s independence in 2026?
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca or its publishers.
Feature image: frame from Trump military parade video
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Irwin Rapoport is a freelance journalist with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Concordia University.
