WASHINGTON
Washington DC is getting ready for a military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Army on Saturday -- a day that falls on President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.
Thousands of service members, along with scores of tanks and military aircraft, will march and fly through the National Mall park in the capital.
The parade is scheduled to begin at around 18.30 local time (2330GMT), while festivities are scheduled throughout the day.
Trump, who is going to deliver remarks on Saturday evening, said earlier this week: "I think it’s time for us to celebrate a little bit. You know, we’ve had a lot of victories."
Meanwhile, planned demonstrations against the Trump administration are scheduled in all 50 US states on Saturday, in what is being called the "No Kings" movement.
Organizers of the demonstrations estimate that nearly 2,000 events will be held nationwide, from large cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, and Philadelphia, to small cities like Lewisburg, West Virginia, Pinedale, Wyoming, and Moab, Utah.
Organizers of the demonstrations have characterized Trump's military parade not as a celebration of the armed forces, but as a theatrical "display of dominance" similar to military marches that have been hosted by dictators in other countries.
Trump has the protesters will be met with “very big force.”
"We're going to be celebrating big on Saturday. We're going to have a lot -- and if there's any protester who wants to come out, they will be met with very big force," he told reporters earlier this week.
The parade also drew sharp criticism about its cost which is estimated up to $45 million as the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been touting their efforts to eliminate government waste.
US lawmakers grilled Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll on Wednesday over the reported cost and expressed concern that the tanks and armored vehicles will damage the roads.
"We think it's an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand our recruiting pool and tell the amazing story of the United States Army and the impact that it's had," Driscoll said.