Trump to honor the Armed Forces with a parade on their shared birthdays

The White House has announced a major military parade to be held on June 14, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. The event, according to Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly, will "honor U.S. veterans, active-duty military, and military history with a military parade."

The U.S. Army was founded on June 14, 1775, just over a year before the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776. The commemoration of its 250th anniversary will serve as a rehearsal for the grand celebration announced by the president to mark two and a half centuries since the nation's founding.

The idea of holding a grand military parade is not new; former President Trump brought it up several times during his first term, although it was never carried out.

Anna Kelly confirmed the news—previously the subject of speculation—through a post on the social network X. The parade will feature reenactments and military equipment representing the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, both World Wars, the Vietnam War, and more recent conflicts, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The largest and most beautiful military parade in our history."

The Pentagon has planned for 6,600 soldiers, 50 aircraft, and 150 vehicles to participate in the parade, which, according to spokeswoman Heather Hagan, will be accompanied by “spectacular” fireworks and all-day celebrations on the National Mall — a vast esplanade in the heart of the U.S. capital. “We’re going to have the biggest and most beautiful military parade in our history,” said Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in an interview with Fox News.

The U.S. president was greatly impressed by the July 14 military parade in Paris, which he attended in 2017 at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. Inspired by the spectacle, Trump repeatedly proposed holding a similar parade in Washington. However, his plans never came to fruition after the Pentagon raised concerns about the cost and the potential damage that tanks and other heavy military vehicles could cause to the capital’s streets, according to AFP.

The last major military parade in the United States took place in 1991 in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the end of the Gulf War.