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Trump addresses huge military parade as protesters rally across US against his presidency – BBC

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President Donald Trump hosts the military's largest parade in decades in Washington DC, marking 250 years of the US Army
The Republican president says America is the "hottest country in the world" and will "soon be greater and stronger than ever before"
The parade – which which fell on Trump's 79th birthday – involved nearly 7,000 soldiers, flyovers and fireworks
Thousands attended the parade in the nation's capital, although rain seemed to dampen turnout
Anti-Trump groups staged hundreds of demonstrations across the country to coincide with the parade
The "No Kings" protests from Los Angeles to Boston were the largest against the president since he was re-elected
Some protests in Minnesota were called off after the assassination of a Democratic lawmaker, which the state's governor said was politically motivated








Edited by Caitlin Wilson, with Bernd Debusmann Jr in Washington DC and Regan Morris in Los Angeles
Courtney Lewis
Reporting from Washington DC
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Soldiers, tanks and fireworks – Scenes from Trump's military parade
It was a day of two distinct public displays on American streets.
In Washington DC, the US Army celebrated its 250th anniversary with a festival and parade championed by President Donald Trump. At the same time, thousands of people marched through cities across the country in protest of Trump's administration.
Demonstrators held signs calling for Trump to be ousted, accompanied by shouts such as "Trump is a traitor". The president did not acknowledge the protests when he spoke near the end of the army celebration, instead calling the US "the hottest country in the world right now".
This all took place hours after an act of political violence in Minnesota, where two state lawmakers and their spouses were shot, leaving one couple dead.
In Los Angeles, protesters are still downtown as an 8 pm (0400BST) curfew quickly approaches.
We're ending our live coverage now, but you can keep up with the story here: Hundreds of 'No Kings' protests against Trump take place across US
As we watched heavy tanks and robotic dogs parade Constitution Avenue in Washington DC, we also had eyes on the hundreds of protests against the Trump administration simultaneously happening nationwide.
Here are more pictures as the army is celebrated both on the ground and in the air along with those protests.
A soldier holds a drone
US Army planes fly over the parade
People gather near the Jefferson Memorial to watch the parade.
Protesters outside San Francisco's City Hall
Demonstrators carrying banners, gather for the "No Kings" protest against the Trump administration in Philadelphia
Protesters outside the White House denounce Trump
Protesters braved rain in New York City
Regan Morris
Reporting from Los Angeles
There's only about 50 protesters left where we are at 2nd and Los Angeles Street – and quite a few of them are children.
I’ve got my helmet on – just in case – but the only thing we’ve seen thrown here over the last few hours is an orange. And police fired rubber bullets at a car doing donuts in front of their barricade.
There were reportedly rocks and bottles thrown around the corner near where Marines are, and LAPD responded with tear gas.
An LAPD helicopter is flying very low now over the dozens of remaining protesters who are being pushed into this area shortly before the curfew kicks in in about 30 minutes.
John Sudworth
North America Correspondent
Crowds are still on the streets of downtown LA, chanting slogans and carrying banners. I can see one that says "MLK is my only King," another, "Deport Kings not Families."
It is noisy but still non-violent where I'm standing on Los Angeles St and 2nd St, but there have been a number of attempts to clear some of the surrounding roads. Thirty meters or so away, a few moments ago we saw police on horseback surge forward, forcing the protesters to turn and swiftly move away.
There'll be many more of those kinds of confrontations when the downtown curfew comes into force in a little less than an hour at 8 pm local time (0400BST).
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington DC
We've still not got numbers yet for the total crowd size at today's Army anniversary parade – but it's already the subject of heated debate.
Steven Cheung, the White House's Director of Communications, posted online that "over 250,000 patriots" were at the parade.
I grew up in Washington DC and have attended many an event at the National Mall. His assessment seems, at least to me, to be exaggerated.
On social media, Trump is already being criticised by many of his detractors for what many deem to be a smaller-than-anticipated crowd at the parade.
Some TikTok stars have already begun taking credit for driving people away from the parade, with some claiming they reserved large amounts of tickets with no intention of showing up.
The crowd size is likely to be the source of some debate in the coming days. Trump often mentions the "enormous" crowds he gets at rallies, for example, and many in Washington will vividly remember the fierce debate over the crowd size at his first inauguration in 2017 – which was the subject of ferocious questioning by the media and intense sparring with then-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
US soldiers dressed in period uniform march in Washington DC
The US army is widely considered to be the most powerful military in the world.
Formed in 1775, it traces its origins to the American Revolution when it was formed by the Continental Congress to fight British forces under the leadership of George Washington.
In the 19th century, it fought a number of wars, including the War of 1812, the Seminole Wars and the Mexican-American war, which led to the expansion of US territory.
The American Civil War (1861-1865) was a defining period in the country’s history – it saw the Union Army fight the Confederate forces led by former US officers and the end of slavery.
In the 20th century, the army played a major role in World War One and World War Two, where it fought alongside allies it still counts today such as Britain and France as well as the then-Soviet Union.
During the Cold War, US troops fought communist forces in Korea and Vietnam, where the use of drafted personnel became a polarising issue in domestic politics.
After the Cold War, the US launched its “war on terror” following the 11 September 2001 attacks, which led to the invasion of Afghanistan in the same year and the combined US and allied invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The US is the world’s foremost military power, with overall spending on defence and technological capabilities outstripping both allies and adversaries. Let’s take a look at some of the numbers:
In raw cost terms, the US towers over all other nations in what it spends on the military, with the US defence budget in 2025 hitting an estimated $895bn (£661bn ), according to the Global Firepower index.
It nearest rivals are China and Russia, which are set to spend around $267 billion and $126 billion respectively this year on their own militaries. In fact, according to Global Firepower’s data, the US spends more over the next year than the next 10 highest spending nations combined.
But the US economy is large, so if you look at spending as a proportion of annual income, World Bank data shows that the US is nowhere near the top spender as a share of its GDP.
Of comparable nations, the 3.7% of GDP spent by the US is modest compared to the 5.9% spent by Russia but far higher than the reported 1.7% China’s defence budget represents.
But among Nato allied nations, the US is near the top the chart – with only Poland and Estonia spending a larger share of their annual income on the military last year.
Meiying Wu and Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Washington DC
Steven Jewell
Earlier we brought you comments from a US Army veteran who came out to support the military parade in Washington DC.
We also spoke to a verteran who last week told the BBC he believes the parade is "unwarranted".
Steven Jewell says parades like this are often put on in communist countries or those run by dictators. “In America, we haven’t done this in a very long time for a very good reason,” he says. “It is a waste of money, an unnecessary show of military force.”
Jewell, who lives in Texas, says such a display could lead to destruction.
“Parades with military equipment, heavy tanks, artillery, those things cause damage. They are so heavy… Having a parade in Washington DC doesn’t meet any of those goals" of discipline, team bonding or training he says he has seen at parades held on military bases.
For Jewell, the parade – taking place on Trump’s 79th birthday – “is a waste of significant amount of money for someone’s ego”.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington DC
There's a small group of protesters near one of the parade ground exits. They're currently surrounded by a circle of Washington DC police officers.
"Ignore the protesters," one of the officers shouted. "Keep it moving!"
I was prevented from getting close enough to talk to them, but they had signs criticising "tax-funded birthdays" and saying that Americans "are either an American or a Trump supporter – you can't be both".
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Watch: Tear gas and clashes at anti-Trump protest in LA
John Sudworth
North America Correspondent
Meanwhile, as the parade concludes in Washington, we've been here in downtown LA, where law enforcement have begun trying to disperse protesters who had been facing off with the police and soldiers from the National Guard near the federal building when the dispersal order was given.
Tear gas has been fired and I've just watched a young woman being knocked over, pepper sprayed and arrested.
A block or two away from the trouble hundreds of protesters are still walking the streets peacefully, holding up banners and flags and chanting.
As a reminder, people marched in Washington and across the country to protest Trump's policies before this evening's parade.
Here's a look at some of those demonstrations.
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'No Kings Day' protests against Trump take place across the US
Night has fallen and the military parade is concluding with music, fireworks over the Washington Monument, and a gun salute.
President Trump's remarks a few minutes ago focused on the army's history and accomplishments. Notably absent was any mention of military conflict in the Middle East.
Israel launched an attack on Iran this weekend, with Iran responding by firing missiles into Israel. Washington and Tehran were scheduled to continue talks on Iran's nuclear programme on Sunday, but that has been cancelled, according to Oman.
The president also left out any mention of the anti-Trump protests that took place across the country today. And after soldiers marched down Washington streets for the parade, he avoided the topic of National Guard troops and Marines deployed to Los Angeles because of violent protests there last week.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from parade route
There appears to be a bit of tension at the parade ground.
Just moments ago, someone shouted "Trump is a traitor" from the crowded area closest to the stage.
That person was immediately drowned out by chants from his supporters – along with a few expletives.
"Everyone is now just heckling the protester," a young man told reporters.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington DC
Trump's speech has been heavy on history patriotism – and perhaps surprisingly, so far, short on politics.
Ahead of the event, some of the president's political opponents had criticised him for holding the event, accusing him of hijacking the Army's anniversary.
One notable exception was his remark that "we are the hottest country right now".
It's something he says often and can be interpreted as a thinly veiled swipe as his predecessor, Joe Biden.
"We've never done better," he adds.
It's a message the crowd appreciates. Just as he finished speaking, the crowd again broke out into a "USA, USA" chant.
It's also a relatively short speech by the standards of this president, who routinely launches into long, off-the-cuff remarks.
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'It's about time', says Trump of parade celebrating US Army
Trump thanks US soldiers who have served and continue to do so today.
"Thanks to their extraordinary service and devotion, 250 years later, America stands tall," he says.
"America stands proud, and America stands free. We're the hottest country in the world right now.
"And our country will soon be greater and stronger than ever before."
Trump has delivered a short speech. After praising US soldiers' valour on battlefields around the world, he offers a warning.
"Time and again America's enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you," he says.
"Your defeat will be certain. Your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete.
"Because our soldiers never give up. Never surrender and never, ever quit. They fight, fight, fight. And they win, win, win."
Donald Trump has taken to the podium to address the parade audience. You can click watch live at the top of this page to follow along.
Stick with us, we'll bring you the top lines.
Autonomous Robotic Dogs (Q-UGV) walk in the 250th birthday parade
We are now seeing what the US Army says are the armaments of the future.
These include drones that are flying overhead and a robotic dog marching on the street
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