President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday was set to be his crowning moment. It had its ingredients in Washington, D.C., such as tanks, troops, fireworks, and fanfare. However, according to biographer Michael Wolff, Donald Trump is spiraling.
Despite the Army’s 250th anniversary providing a convenient patriotic backdrop, Trump’s fixation on crowd size has reportedly spiraled into panic. Wolff told The Daily Beast Podcast that Trump has “a big fear that nobody’s gonna turn out” for his $45 million taxpayer-funded celebration, which includes at least 7,000 troops, WWII planes, and Army parachutists.
“So they’re now trying to (…) bus in the Trump base,” Wolff said, citing a frantic effort to avoid empty seats. This has been sore since his infamously sparse 2017 inauguration and multiple under-attended 2024 rallies.
Adding to the awkward optics? Melania Trump’s seemingly complete absence from the festivities.
Sources close to the former first lady say she’s skipped out on the planning, dodged the events, and remains visibly distanced from Trump’s latest attempt to turn a national observance into a personal spectacle.
A Military Birthday Parade With No Melania Trump in Sight?
What’s a birthday without your spouse? Apparently, for Donald Trump, it’s business as usual.
Trump holds military parade on his birthday for US Army’s 250th anniversary https://t.co/igpSAyT1mr
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 14, 2025
Melania Trump, who has long maintained a public distance from her husband’s political theater, is again absent during a major Trump milestone. This year’s grandiose birthday, marked by a military parade, marks yet another chapter in the couple’s increasingly visible estrangement.
As the military parade continues in Washington, D.C., with President Donald Trump watching from a stand close to the White House, Melania Trump isn’t around for the public festivities. We don’t see her name in the news or anything about her joining in on the big day. She’s keeping a pretty low profile, which makes you think about how different she is from her husband, who’s all about being seen and getting everyone excited for his 79th birthday bash.
Happy birthday to the GOAT! @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/uHO0fbMS1v
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 14, 2025
The silence here says it all. The First Lady was a no-show at Trump’s campaign start, dodged the public rallies, and got tired of his efforts to pull her into flashy political scenes.
Now, this birthday bash is about patriotism. Still, the whispers say that even Trump’s best friends know it’s really about giving him a fresh image, especially with his popularity not so hot and everyone feeling worn out with politics.
Even Republicans Are Ditching the Donald Trump Birthday Parade
Trump’s paranoia might not be unfounded. Despite the parade’s billing as a celebration of the Army’s 250th anniversary, prominent Republicans are staying away and offering suspiciously mundane excuses. Speaker Mike Johnson said he’s downsizing his house. A senator claimed he’s off to watch college sports. One joked he needed to stay married.
The optics? Not great. Senator Rand Paul blasted the Soviet-style display, saying, “I’ve never been a big fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street (…) We were proud not to be that.”
To egotistical, self-centered Senators like @RandPaul, celebrating the 250th birthday of the @USArmy with a national parade is “bad form” and something that @POTUS shouldn’t be putting on this weekend
Read the room, loser. We’re Making America Great Again pic.twitter.com/VkPJj34ErI
— Steak for Breakfast (@SteakforPodcast) June 11, 2025
Critics have slammed the parade as a politicization of the military, while protest groups like “No Kings” have been targeting the parade and Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
And if Mother Nature has a say, it might rain on this parade. And we mean this literally, because D.C. forecasts point to thunderstorms, but Donald Trump remains defiant. “OUR GREAT MILITARY PARADE IS ON, RAIN OR SHINE. REMEMBER, A RAINY DAY PARADE BRINGS GOOD LUCK. I’LL SEE YOU ALL IN D.C.,” he posted on Truth Social.
NEXT: The Real Trump EXPOSED—From Melania’s ‘Hatred’ to His True Feelings About Musk!
