Trump held a large military parade in Washington in June featuring tanks and a fireworks display that coincided with the Army's 250th anniversary. Opponents organized No Kings Day protests nationwide, and an estimated 4 million to 6 million people turned out. Trump then added a White House ballroom but remained dissatisfied with parade marching. The U.S. Navy began exploring a larger fall celebration featuring seacraft, though the Navy has not announced plans. Other military branches celebrating 250th anniversaries reportedly are not planning similar parades this year.
Within weeks, Trump had channeled his passion for dictatorial displays into constructing a White House ballroom, so it seemed like his craving for a military parade had been satisfied. But apparently, that's not the case. Buried in a long Wall Street Journal piece on Trump's largely unchecked authoritarianism is the news that Trump was "disappointed" by his first parade, so now the U.S. Navy is looking to throw him an even bigger one this fall:
Trump has also pushed the optics of the presidency in a monarchical direction, holding a military parade in June for the Army's 250th birthday. Officials had thwarted a similar one in his first term by arguing it would look like a third-world spectacle. After the Washington parade, Trump told aides he was disappointed with the marching, and the U.S. Navy is trying to plan a bigger celebration this fall, hoping for a shimmering spectacle with seacraft, administration officials said.
The U.S. Navy has not announced anything about this. Two weeks before the Army parade, USA Today reported that two of the other military branches were not planning big parades, though they also have big birthdays this year: Meanwhile, the Navy, which also celebrates its 250th anniversary in October, has no plans for a similar parade, according to a spokesperson. The Marine Corps, too, has its 250th in November, and does not appear to have a parade on
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