The United States Army parachute team, the Golden KNights, descend on the military parade in Washington, D.C. on June 14, 2025, President Trump’s birthday. Courtesy: America250

President Donald Trump praised the United States Army as the “greatest, fiercest and bravest fighting force” at the conclusion of a grand display of military might in the nation’s capital Saturday as the Army celebrated its 250th birthday with a parade.

President Trump is hosting a parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army today, bringing tanks and soldiers to the streets of Washington, D.C., for the capital's first major military parade in more than three decades.

A minor-league football championship game will air on ABC. Fox News, CNN and C-SPAN will carry the four-hour festivities live.

The last time the United States held a national military parade was in June 1991, timed to welcome returning veterans of the 100-day Persian Gulf War.

Thousands of demonstrators crowded into streets, parks, and plazas across the US, blaring anti-authoritarian chants mixed with support for protecting democracy and immigrant rights.

Commenters on social media were quick to note that at several points throughout the parade, First Lady Melania Trump appeared to almost be dozing off, or at least resting her eyes at multiple intervals.

The military parade to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary and its convergence with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday are combining to create a peacetime outlier in U.S. history. Yet it still reflects global traditions that serve a range of political and cultural purposes.