Tens of thousands of Americans join protest rallies ahead of Trump’s military parade

Published June 14, 2025
A protestor holds an American flag upside down during a gathering of protesters as they take part in a nationwide “No Kings” rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the US on June 14. — AFP
A protestor holds an American flag upside down during a gathering of protesters as they take part in a nationwide “No Kings” rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the US on June 14. — AFP

Tens of thousands of Americans attended rallies on Saturday to protest United States President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown in major cities from New York to Atlanta to Los Angeles, on a day marred by the assassination of a Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota.

The protests marked the largest outpouring of opposition to Trump’s presidency since he returned to power in January, and came the same day that thousands of military personnel, vehicles and aircraft would march through and fly over Washington DC in a parade celebrating the US Army’s 250th anniversary.

Saturday is also Trump’s 79th birthday.

The Republican president has ordered National Guard troops and US Marines to Los Angeles, a heavily Democratic city — a deployment that California Governor Gavin Newsom has challenged in court.

Anti-Trump groups planned nearly 2,000 demonstrations of varying sizes across the country to coincide with the parade. Many are taking place under the theme ‘No Kings’, asserting that no individual is above the law.

All planned ‘No Kings’ protests in Minnesota were cancelled following what Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said was the “politically motivated assassination” of one Democratic lawmaker and wounding of a second.

A Democratic state lawmaker and her husband were killed early on Saturday, while a second lawmaker and his spouse were wounded in a separate attack, Walz said.

“An unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota —my good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination,” he told reporters. “Our state lost a great leader.”

Walz said that in a second attack, Senator John Hoffman and his wife, of Champlin, were shot multiple times, underwent surgery and that he was “cautiously optimistic” that they would survive “this assassination attempt”.

“This was an act of targeted political violence,” he said. “Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint.”

Police stand at a crime scene as they search for a suspect posing as a police officer who shot two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses in their homes, in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin, Minnesota, US on June 14. — Reuters
Police stand at a crime scene as they search for a suspect posing as a police officer who shot two Democratic state lawmakers and their spouses in their homes, in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin, Minnesota, US on June 14. — Reuters

Law enforcement authorities said the gunman was impersonating a police officer and escaped after exchanging fire with police who responded to the attacks.

A large-scale search for the suspect was underway, they said.

Trump condemned the shooting, saying, “Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America.

“I have been briefed on the terrible shooting that took place in Minnesota, which appears to be a targeted attack against state lawmakers,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, calling the incident “terrible”.

“The ghastly targeted shootings of Senator Hoffman and Representative Hortman are not just horrific, they’re acts of political extremism and an assault on our democracy itself,” said Democratic US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “This is where hate and violent rhetoric lead.”

People heading into Washington for the parade encountered a massive security presence, with some 30 kilometres of 2.4 metre-high black fencing, much of it reinforced with concrete traffic barriers, cordoning off streets and surrounding landmarks including the Washington Monument.

The celebrations will cost the US Army between $25 million and $45m, US officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops.

Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given that Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government.

Festive atmosphere

A festive atmosphere had taken hold in front of City Hall in Los Angeles, where hundreds of people had gathered an hour before the main ‘No Kings’ protest was set to begin.

A drum circle featuring Native American dancers was animating the crowd, where scores were waving American and Mexican flags, amid a heavy law enforcement presence.

Sergio Lopez, 44, a gay man and Navy veteran who served in Iraq from 2002 until 2004 and was brought to the US from Mexico at the age of 1, said he was at the demonstration because he felt under attack on several fronts.

“I didn’t fight for my country to be stripped of my rights and to be targeted by my own government,” Lopez said. “We’re supposed to be the best country in the world. How can we be that if we are targeting the immigrants who helped build this country?”

In a sign of the widespread nature of the protests, small groups of mostly middle-aged and elderly people holding signs and protesting Trump were scattered at intersections across affluent northwest Washington and its Maryland suburbs, urging motorists to honk their horns in support and holding signs saying things including ‘Honor Troops (not Trump)’, ‘No Kings’ and ‘No Kings since 1776’.

A demonstrator stands holding a sign that reads “our heroes are not your pawns”, on the day of a military parade to commemorate the US Army’s 250th anniversary in Washington DC, the US on June 14. — Reuters
A demonstrator stands holding a sign that reads “our heroes are not your pawns”, on the day of a military parade to commemorate the US Army’s 250th anniversary in Washington DC, the US on June 14. — Reuters

At least one organisation, RefuseFascism.org, has a permit to hold a march in central Washington that will culminate in a rally opposite the White House.

Trump has warned people against protesting at the parade itself, saying that “they’re going to be met with very big force.”

Members of the far-right Proud Boys appeared at an Atlanta ‘No Kings’ protest, wearing the group’s distinctive black and yellow colours.

The protests and any response by law enforcement agencies will form a contrasting backdrop to the day-long celebration of the US Army’s history, which will seek to honour different eras of military history with uniforms and military weaponry from those periods.

While the Army has said the parade will take place come rain or shine, weather forecasts for Saturday evening show the potential for heavy thunderstorms in the Washington area.

Defenders of the plans say the Army’s 250th anniversary is a unique event that deserves an outsized celebration.

The display of US military hardware will take place shortly after one of the nation’s closest allies, Israel, launched a barrage of strikes across Iran, which has threatened a harsh response.

Rare spectacle

Military parades in the United States are rare. Other countries usually stage them to celebrate victories in battle or showcase military might.

In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War.

Thousands of agents, officers and specialists will be deployed from law enforcement agencies from across the country and drones operated by the Secret Service will keep watch overhead.

The Federal Aviation Administration will close down arrivals and departures at Washington’s Reagan National Airport during the peak of the celebration.

A visitor stands near a Paladin M109 self-propelled howitzer with the Washington Monument in the background, ahead of a military parade to commemorate the US Army’s 250th anniversary in Washington DC, the US on June 14. — Reuters
A visitor stands near a Paladin M109 self-propelled howitzer with the Washington Monument in the background, ahead of a military parade to commemorate the US Army’s 250th anniversary in Washington DC, the US on June 14. — Reuters

The US Army has brought nearly 7,000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armoured vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, and artillery pieces including the M777 and M119.

The flyover will include Apache and Black Hawk helicopters along with Chinooks. Older aircraft like the World War II-era B-25 bomber and P-51 Mustang will also take part.

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