Donald Trump gave himself a military parade on his 79th birthday as it was the Army’s 250th anniversary on the same day. However, what Trump envisioned as a day full of pomp and grandeur turned out to be pretty flat given the low turnout and lack of enthusiasm of the people who had come to attend the parade.
The parade had reportedly cost a whopping $45million and despite spending so much money, it became a social media laughing stock. Talking about how Trump reacted to this extremely underwhelming response to his birthday celebration, an insider told Rob Shuter for his Substack, “He was furious. He expected thousands… flags waving, chants, media fanfare. Instead, it felt like a county fair on a Tuesday.”
As reported by RadarOnline, the insider further added that Trump was furious with the low turnout and given how there were not enough people who would chant his name, he has started planning for his next birthday in a different way. The insider said, “Next year, it’ll be invite-only at Mar-a-Lago. No more lukewarm Republicans. Just adoring loyalists who treat it like a coronation, not a courtesy.”
According to the source, the American President has already started with the planning of his next year’s birthday and he has ordered his executives to plan for some “golden, glitzy, camera-ready” event in Palm Beach. The insider source further added, “He wants applause, not apathy. If you’re not clapping, you’re not coming.”
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Given the fact that Trump has always wanted a military parade for himself on his birthday since his first term, this one must have meant a lot to him. However, with the kind of ridicule the parade and its low turnout faced on social media, Trump naturally felt enraged.
As reported by RadarOnline, “The Trump administration had projected 200,000 people would be at the National Mall on Saturday, June 14, which was billed as a massive celebration that would include military fitness challenges and weapons exhibits.”
Unfortunately, the parade did not live up to its hype and aerial shots of the parade showed how empty the grounds were and even people who were present seemed to be more invested in the food trucks than what was happening in the parade. Moreover, there were also ‘No Kings’ Day protests going all over the country to show how a chunk of citizens did not support whatever Trump was doing in the name of celebrating his birthday.
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The President however made sure that he gave his speech on his birthday as he said, “Welcome to the United States Army and have a great life. Thank you very much. Have a great life.”
He further added, “We’re the hottest country in the world right now. Our country will soon be greater and stronger than ever before.” He also mentioned America is “blessed beyond words by this valued legion of army warriors.”
His words however felt hollow given the kind of reception that his parade received. His decision of going back to having lavish birthdays back at his own place makes complete sense looking at the sorry response that the event got.
