Internet trolls are making a mockery of Donald Trump‘s beloved military parade that took place Saturday in Washington, D.C., on the president’s birthday, though it was ostensibly in honor of the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
Accounts on X (formerly Twitter) shared video of other countries’ military parades with soldiers marching in synchronized lockstep surrounded by enthusiastic and large crowds, comparing them to the spectacle in D.C. on Saturday.
One account, which Puck News’ Julia Ioffe identified as Russian, juxtaposed footage of members of the North Korean military marching in exact sync, comparing it to video of U.S. Army troops marching in Trump’s parade accompanied by much less fanfare.
“How Trump imagined his parade [vs] What he actually saw,” the caption read, according to Ioffe. The contrast is staggering, as the North Korean troops high-stepped in perfect unison compared to the Army’s less synchronized and seemingly less enthusiastic marching. Some have pointed out that members of the U.S. Army may have been ordered to march in “Route Step March” or “At Ease March,” a more relaxed and less rigorous type of marching.
One account posted video of Mexico’s annual Mexican Independence Day parade in Mexico City, while another shared footage of India’s Republic Day parade.
Trump has praised other countries for their military parades. When he watched a 2017 Bastille Day celebration in France, Trump told reporters, “It was one of the greatest parades I’ve ever seen… We’re going to have to try to top it.”
Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty pointed out that Trump’s admiration of military spectacle goes even farther back. Before he was inaugurated to his first term, Trump told Tumulty in an interview, “We’re going to show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our military.”
“That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue,” Trump continued. “That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we’re going to be showing our military.”
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said called the parade “a vulgar display” during a news conference on Friday. “It’s the kind of thing you see Kim Jong Un, you see Putin, you see with dictators around the world that are weak,” he said.
Meanwhile, as Trump was celebrating his the Army’s birthday in D.C., which reportedly cost up to $45 million, masses of people that dwarfed the parade turnout showed up across the country for No Kings protests against him. An estimated 5 million people participated in protests across 2,100 cities in the U.S. while troops in D.C. marched past sometimes empty stands.
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