US Army set to celebrate 250 years: Trump arrives on stage at his birthday event amid ‘No Kings’ protests | Top points

On his 79th birthday, US President Donald Trump launched the long-anticipated military parade he had envisioned for years, while tens of thousands of protesters across the country gathered to denounce him as a dictator. He stepped onto a grand stage in front of the White House alongside First Lady Melania Trump, as a 21-gun salute echoed and the US national anthem played.

Top 10 points from Trump's birthday event as US army celebrates 250 years

1. Trump stood and saluted as tanks rolled by, aircraft thundered overhead, and nearly 7,000 troops marched through Washington in the largest military parade the United States has seen in decades.
2. Chants of "USA! USA!" continued as the Republican arrived a giant stage in front of the White House for the parade which officially marked the 250th birthday of the US Army, but also occurred to fall on Trump's own.

3. The deep political divisions in the United States were highlighted as "No Kings" protesters filled the streets in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Houston, and Atlanta.

4. The Republican, now in his second term and expanding presidential powers to unprecedented levels, proudly declared on his Truth Social platform that it was a “big day for America!!!”

5. Military parades are typically associated with capitals like Moscow and Pyongyang rather than Washington, but Trump has openly voiced his desire for one since his first term.

6. The event kicked off with a 21-gun salute, followed by the dramatic arrival of the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team, who descended from the sky to present a flag to Trump.

7. In front of the stage where Trump was seated, two massive Abrams tanks were positioned.

8. Thousands gathered in Los Angeles to protest Trump’s deployment of troops in the nation’s second-largest city, following unrest triggered by immigration raids. Meanwhile, some demonstrators focussed their protests on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and a small group even assembled in Paris.

9. What do protestors say?

Lindsay Ross, a 28-year-old musician, said, “I think people are mad as hell.” "I think it's disgusting," protester Sarah Hargrave, 42, said in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, calling Trump's parade as a “display of authoritarianism”.

10. California's Governor Gavin Newsom, who criticised Trump for sending National Guard troops into Los Angeles without his approval, described it a “vulgar display of weakness”.

(With inputs from AFP)