Trump's DC birthday parade could be canceled amid ‘No Kings’ protest

Donald Trump's 79th birthday celebration in D.C. may be cancelled, casting doubt on the $45 million military parade.

Thunderstorms are threatening President Donald Trump’s big birthday celebration this weekend in Washington, D.C., where he’s planning a $45 million military parade to mark both his 79th birthday and the Army’s 250th anniversary.

Former President Trump's birthday parade in Washington, D.C. faces potential cancellation due to thunderstorms. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg(Bloomberg)

Notably, on the same they, protest groups opposed to Trump’s policies are planning ‘No Kings’ demonstrations in hundreds of cities across the country. It seems like a natural calamity is now a bigger hurdle for the POTUS than the protest.

“As we head into the evening hours, we do have to be concerned about at least thunderstorms in the area. If there is a thunderstorm obviously not only lightning would be a concern, but also, with all the humidity in the air, it can certainly have some downpours with it,” a meteorologist from AccuWeather told The Independent.

When is Trump's $45 million military parade?

The parade is set to take place Saturday evening from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, but organisers are keeping a close eye on the weather. Forecasts predict temperatures in the mid-80s, though humidity will make it feel several degrees hotter.

“Rain won’t stop us, the tanks don’t melt, but if there’s lightning then that puts the crowd at risk,” Steve Warren, chief spokesman for the Army, told The Times. He added that officials “will disperse the crowd and even cancel or postpone the parade” if lightning becomes a concern.

“It will depend on the president, too, when he’s available,” Warren added.

General Randy George, the Army’s Chief of Staff, will reportedly have the final say on whether the show can go on.

“It’s June in Washington DC. We get thunderstorms. You could delay it, you could look at it and say this is just passing through. Or say, hey, this is a storm which gets bigger for a while,” Warren said.

‘We have the greatest…. and we’re going to celebrate it’: Trump

Notably, the parade will showcase around 6,600 Army personnel, vintage warplanes like a WWII-era B-25 bomber and a P-1 fighter, as well as iconic Huey helicopters from the Vietnam War era. Heavy military gear will also be on display, including 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles.

However, amid several criticism that the parade is “not a good use of government funds,” unfazed Trump said during a May interview on Meet the Press, “We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it,” 

He dismissed the cost, saying it was “peanuts compared to the value of doing it.”