President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to use the “gravity” of every “protesters” in the military parade held in Washington this weekend.
“We will celebrate a big on Saturday,” Trump told reporters at the oval office right after he talked about sending the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles to extinguish protests there. “If there are protesters who want to come out, they will meet a very large power.”
The parade to honor the 1250th warning of the Army also fell on the 79th anniversary of the President and came only a few days after Trump ordered troops to Los Angeles to respond to protests against immigration operations and US Customs and Excise enforcement.
“People who want to protest will meet with great power,” he said, noted that he had never heard of plans to protest in the military parade in Washington. “But these are people who hate our country. They will meet with gravity.”
Military vehicles from the US Army were deployed from transportation trucks near the National Mall in preparation for the 1250th anniversary of the Army, on June 10, 2025, in Washington, DC
Andrew Leyden/Zuma Press Wire via Shutterstock
ABC News reaches the White House to comment on the strength of what Trump meant in his comment on Tuesday.
Trump has broken measures and anticipated the spectacle of military parade, said on Monday, “We have many tanks. We have all the new and very old types of World War I and World War II,” and that the military and the role of the US in victory in World War I and World War II need to be celebrated as did other countries with their military.
“This will be a parade, people like I don’t know whether we have had a parade like that. This will be extraordinary,” he said, adding that “thousands and thousands of soldiers” will march through the paths of military clothing from various US military eras. “We have many Army airplanes flying above, and we have tanks in all places.”
President Donald Trump spoke with reporters at the White House Oval Office, June 10, 2025, in Washington.
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Twenty-eight Abrams tanks, 28 bradley fighting vehicles, 28 Stryker vehicles, and four Self-Propelled Paladin Howitzer will participate in the parade, as well as eight marching ribbons, 24 horses, two bagals and a dog.
Fifty aircraft will fly over your head too.
Last month, Army spokesman Steve Warren told reporters that the service welcomed the peace protest, noting his motto “We will defend,” reference to service commitments to uphold democratic values.
“We did not control the crowd,” said Warren.
The US Army vehicle was revealed near the National Mall in preparation for the 1250th anniversary of the Army, which will be attended by President Trump and more than 7,000 troops from the US Army.
Andrew Leyden/Nurphoto via Shutterstock
The US Secret Service and Washington officials said on Monday that they tracked nine small protests but they did not expect violence.
“From the perspective of the Secret Service, only people who use the first amendment to protest because we will not do anything with it,” said Matt McCool, a special agent responsible for the Washington Secret Service field office. “But if it turns into violence or any law is violated, that’s when [the Metropolitan Police Department]Park police, secret service will be involved. “
California National Guard Member stand guard in front of the Federal Building Edward R. Roybal in Los Angeles, June 9, 2025.
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However, national bodyguards, including the Columbia National Guard District and those from other states, will be activated but not armed.
Outside Washington, the progressive group plans to protest against Trump’s administration when the parade occurs, with The mainstay protest “no kings” Occurs in Philadelphia.
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty and Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.