{"id":7316,"date":"2025-07-07T20:15:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T20:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=7316"},"modified":"2025-09-07T20:18:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T20:18:09","slug":"trumps-parade-met-with-protests-as-dictator-claims-resurfaced-audio-spark-outrage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=7316","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Parade Met With Protests as Dictator Claims, Resurfaced Audio Spark Outrage"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Stacy M. Brown<\/a><\/span> and Trevor Johnson<\/a><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s extravagant up to $45 million birthday and military parade through Washington, D.C., drew outrage across the country and prompted massive counter protests under the banner \u201cNo Kings Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it was billed to celebrate 250 years of the military, the president\u2019s show of force was widely viewed as self-congratulatory and authoritarian, sparking demonstrations in dozens of cities from Los Angeles and Atlanta to Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.<\/p>\n

Despite the thick, humid air, people lined the streets, some cheering and shouting chants of \u201cUSA\u201d as helicopters flew by, while others protested the Trump administration and stood for equity and justice for all \u2014 each standing for a different vision of America.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Army keeps us free; you make us strong, and tonight you have made all Americans very proud. With the creation of America\u2019s Army on June 14, 1775, liberty got its shield and freedom got its sword,\u201d the president said during the parade, before issuing what some have called a chilling warning. \u201cAmerica\u2019s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you. Your defeat will be certain, your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete.\u201d<\/p>\n

While many counter protestors noted they celebrate the work of those in the military, they questioned the president\u2019s intentions for the parade.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have nothing against the military\u2026 but do I think this parade was about that? No,\u201d said a retired law enforcement officer from Minnesota who attended the No Kings Day counter protest. \u201cWe all know who Donald Trump is \u2014 it\u2019s ego, its division, it\u2019s about getting more people behind him. He\u2019s disparaged the military over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

No Kings Day Works to Combat Authoritarian Threat\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As military tanks were on full display in the nation\u2019s capital, tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets in the District and nationwide, many carrying signs declaring \u201cNo Kings in America\u201d and photos of former President Barack Obama \u2014 a deliberate contrast to Trump\u2019s spectacle.<\/p>\n

In Atlanta, a 5,000-capacity rally at the state Capitol quickly overflowed as thousands more gathered outside the barriers. Demonstrators across the country accused Trump of attempting to install himself as a de facto monarch, dismissing constitutional norms and democratic principles.<\/p>\n

The protest momentum was amplified by resurfaced video and audio recordings that critics say further reveal Trump\u2019s authoritarian ambitions.<\/p>\n

In one hot mic moment inside the Oval Office<\/a>, Trump is heard telling El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, \u201cThe homegrown criminals are next. Yeah. I said homegrowns are next \u2014 the homegrowns. You\u2019ve got to build about five more places. Yeah, that\u2019s fair. Alright? Yeah. It\u2019s not big enough. No, yeah. Come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exchange raised the alarm over whether Trump was seriously proposing sending U.S. citizens abroad for detention, an idea legal experts say would directly violate the Constitution.<\/p>\n

The remarks follow a pattern of Trump admiring autocratic leaders. In an earlier on-camera exchange<\/a>, Trump gushed about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un: \u201cCould happen, yeah I would have him, yeah, I think it\u2019s something that could happen. Hey, he\u2019s the head of a country, and I mean, he\u2019s the strong head. Don\u2019t let anyone think anything different. He speaks, and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those words, now resurfacing as tensions escalate and threats to democratic institutions rise, reveal how close America is to its first dictatorship.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is absolutely well-known that these dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they\u2019re so clear they can manipulate you with flattery and favors,\u201d former Vice President Kamala Harris warned during the September 2024 presidential debate.<\/p>\n

Varying Views Fill District Streets\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The military parade featured performances by various artists as well as speeches from the president and Vice President J.D. Vance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so to our soldiers, we\u2019re so proud of you, and let me tell you that the way that we honor and respect you is, number one, we never ask you to go to war unless you absolutely have to,\u201d said Vance. \u201cAnd number two, when we do ask you to go to war, we give you the weapons and the support needed to kick the hell out of the enemy and come back home safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

A parade supporter who asked to use the name Kate the Great celebrated the events of the day, noting the great sacrifices made by those in the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a cool country, with a lot of people that have died to make our freedom, to keep us free, and to let us do exactly what we\u2019re doing today \u2014 enjoy our country,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m very blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The No Kings Parade, organized by various advocacy groups and held nationwide, was a means of Americans speaking out against the Trump administration and its policies.<\/p>\n

A person attending the No Kings Day protest with a \u201cStop ICE\u201d sign, who preferred not to be identified by name, noted that \u201cfear\u201d is the message the Trump administration is sending to Americans and people throughout the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s not what real American power is,\u201d the protester told The Informer.\u201cThe true power is its people \u2013 not the military. America is about people like us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The retiree from Minnesota attended the protest to speak up for the rights of his son and all trans people, who have been affected by the Trump administration\u2019s gender mandates \u2014 which \u201crecognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son is trans, and the hatred that\u2019s being expressed is just gross. Yet they claim they want a free country \u2014 oh no, they don\u2019t. They want a country the way they want it,\u201d the proud parent said.<\/p>\n

While the retired officer celebrated veterans\u2019 contributions, he said the tax dollars spent at the parade could have helped countless Americans who are facing challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad veterans can come out and celebrate what they\u2019ve done, but the money spent on this could\u2019ve helped veterans in need \u2014 or that woman, that man, or even my son,\u201d the father continued. \u201cThere are much better ways to spend it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source: Published without changes from Washington Informer Newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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