Australia and the World Past and Present

14 June 2025. A grand military celebration in Washington D.C. marked the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. It also happened to be President Trump’s birthday.

The estimated cost for the parade was reported as sitting somewhere between US$25 and 45 million.

Apparently, Trump had come up with the idea of holding a grand military procession in his first term. He had seen France’s Bastille Day celebrations and had been inspired.

More than 6000 soldiers took part in the parade in the Capitol.

There were aircraft and M1 Abrams tanks.

The parade provoked a lot of domestic criticism. Some were concerned about the cost but there were also claims that it politicised the military.

Steel plates had to be laid down to protect road surfaces. Nevertheless, millions of dollars worth of damage was done due to the weight of the machinery.

The event represented the U.S. military turning inwards as well as looking outwards. Was it emblematic of the Trump administration’s focus of clamping down on domestic order? Or was it simply Trump’s grandiose self-promotion?

Military processions like this are more common in states like Russia, China and North Korea. These marches project power. They are visual displays of latent aggression and military strength. These pageants are about showing the world what you have and letting others know that you are not to be messed with.

Does the U.S. really want to join the in the showmanship of authoritarian and militarised states? Perhaps Trump does. He likes strength. he likes power. He doesn’t take a backwards step. He likes pomp and ceremony.

In his movies, Dirty Harry wears his gun on his holster on the outside of his jacket, where everyone can see it. In Miami Vice, Sonny Crockett wears his firearm under his coat. He’s got firepower too, but he only reveals it when its needed. I guess Trump prefers Dirty Harry movies.