Trump holds $47 million military parade amid Minnesota tragedy

Trump held a $30 million military parade in Washington on Jun. 14, 2025, hours after gunman Vance Boelter assassinated former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and wounded State Senator John Hoffman and his wife

The parade featured 6,600 troops, 150 vehicles, and 50 aircraft in a 90-minute spectacle that also marked Trump's 79th birthday

Over five million Americans protested in more than 2,100 cities under the No Kings banner opposing the parade as authoritarian theater

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker and other Republicans including Susan Collins and Rand Paul publicly criticized the $30 million cost as wasteful

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Trump in his first term he would rather swallow acid than hold a military parade, calling it what dictators do

The Army's final cost tally was $30 million, with initial estimates ranging up to $47 million when including federal and city security costs

Trump later berated Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth because soldiers appeared to be having a good time instead of looking menacing