What's the message behind Trump's military parade?

Summary

Consider This from NPR: What's the Message Behind Trump's Military Parade?

Release Date: June 2, 2025

In this episode of NPR's Consider This, host Ari Shapiro delves into the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's planned military parade scheduled for June 14, 2025. The discussion explores the motivations behind the parade, its alignment with American traditions, and the broader implications for the presidency and military honor.

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Trump’s Announcement and Rationale

The episode opens with the announcement of President Trump’s intention to hold a grand military parade. At the outset (00:00), Ari Shapiro highlights the central debate: “Who and what is it for?” President Trump publicly stated his aim, asserting, “We're gonna have a big, beautiful parade” (00:12) and emphasizing the celebration of the armed forces (00:15). Trump linked the parade to both the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and his personal milestone, his 79th birthday.

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Criticism and Political Opposition

The parade has not been without its critics. Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California labeled the event a “vanity project” akin to displays orchestrated by authoritarian leaders globally (00:22). Joshua Zeitz, a historian and contributing editor for Politico, further critiques the administration’s approach, stating, “When Donald Trump is slashing veterans benefits to aggrandize himself, to communicate to the country his control over the military is just another shameful act of this administration” (00:44). This perspective frames the parade as a tool for personal aggrandizement rather than a genuine homage to the military.

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Historical Context of U.S. Military Parades

Ari Shapiro provides historical context by referencing past military parades in the United States (00:57). Notably, he cites President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural parade, which featured a replica Navy PT boat and 22,000 troops, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s parade, which included a cannon capable of firing a nuclear warhead (01:07; 01:09). These events were typically celebratory of military victories following significant conflicts, such as the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.

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Expert Insights by Joshua Zeitz

Historian Joshua Zeitz offers a deep analysis of the proposed parade’s place within American tradition (03:00). He draws parallels between Trump’s parade and those of authoritarian regimes, suggesting that the latter use such displays to project power and intimidate both domestic and international audiences (04:39). Zeitz contrasts this with the American tradition, where large military parades have historically marked the end of wars and the demobilization of troops, rather than serving as displays of ongoing military might (04:21).

Zeitz further elaborates on how Trump’s actions, including the military parade, signify a broader shift in the presidency. He argues that Trump is “reinventing the presidency as something that doesn’t resemble what it has traditionally in American history” (05:32). This transformation includes expanding presidential authority and altering the traditional relationship between the military and the executive branch.

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Significance to Veterans and Past Parades

Reflecting on the 1991 Gulf War parade, Shapiro notes its profound impact on veterans, particularly Vietnam War veterans who had not previously received similar recognition (06:38). A poignant quote from Captain Ben Clapsaddle underscores the emotional significance of such parades: “I grew up in the 60s and 70s. My father was a Vietnam veteran. And the thousands of soldiers and service members that came home from that war didn’t receive anything like this” (07:00). This historical reference serves to highlight the unique nature of Trump’s parade and its departure from traditional commemorations tied to specific conflicts.

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Public Perception and Intentions

The alignment of the parade with Trump’s birthday raises questions about the true intent behind the event. Zeitz suggests that the timing implies a focus on the president himself rather than solely honoring the military (07:20). This dual purpose fosters skepticism about whether the parade genuinely serves as a tribute to the armed forces or functions as a platform for personal glorification (07:38).

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Conclusion

In wrapping up, Shapiro emphasizes the delicate balance between honoring military service and maintaining the integrity of presidential traditions. The planned parade, while ostensibly a celebration of the armed forces, has sparked debate over its alignment with American values and historical precedents. As Zeitz points out, this event may symbolize a broader redefinition of presidential power and its relationship with the military, raising important questions about leadership and national identity in contemporary America.

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Notable Quotes:

• Donald Trump (00:12): "We're gonna have a big, beautiful parade."
• Joshua Zeitz (00:44): "When Donald Trump is slashing veterans benefits to aggrandize himself... this is just another shameful act of this administration."
• Captain Ben Clapsaddle (07:00): "I grew up in the 60s and 70s. My father was a Vietnam veteran. And the thousands of soldiers and service members that came home from that war didn’t receive anything like this."

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Production Credits:

• Produced by: Connor Donovan
• Edited by: Jeanette Woods
• Executive Producer: Sami Yenigun

This episode of Consider This from NPR was brought to you by various sponsors supporting NPR’s mission.

Transcript

[Ari Shapiro]

The debate about the military parade that President Trump has planned this month really boils down to one big question. Who and what is it for? Trump told NBC's Meet the Press that it was about celebrating the armed forces.

[Donald Trump]

We're gonna have a big, beautiful parade.

[Joshua Zeitz]

A military parade.

[Ari Shapiro]

Yeah, sure. Okay.

[Donald Trump]

We're gonna celebrate our military.

[Joshua Zeitz]

We have the greatest military in the world. Price tag.

[Ari Shapiro]

Do you people.

[Donald Trump]

Peanuts compared to the.

[Ari Shapiro]

Value of doing it. The official occasion is the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. army, the June 14th. That day also happens to be Trump's 79th birthday. Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California called it a vanity project in the model of would be dictators around the world. This was in a post on social media last month.

[Donald Trump]

To use the military in this manner.

[Joshua Zeitz]

When Donald Trump is slashing veterans benefits to aggrandize himself, to communicate to the country his control over the military is just another shameful act of this administration.

[Ari Shapiro]

There has been military hardware on the streets of D.C. before. Take President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade. Head of the parade, a replica of a Navy PT boat like that commanded.

[Joshua Zeitz]

By President Kennedy in the Pacific in.

[Ari Shapiro]

World War II with most of his crew on hand. It also featured dozens of missiles. And some 22,000 troops marched in Dwight D. Eisenhower's inaugural parade, along with a cannon that could fire a nuclear warhead. But it's been more than 30 years since D.C. saw a parade like the one Trump is planning. Consider this. For over a century, major US Military parades have mostly marked victories. What's being celebrated on June 14th? From NPR, I'm Ari Shapiro.

[Donald Trump]

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[Ari Shapiro]

It's Consider this from NPR. Joshua Zeitz is a historian and a contributing editor for Politico magazine, and he's written about where Trump's parade fits into the American tradition. We started our conversation with the last major military parade in D.C. to mark the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

[Joshua Zeitz]

And even at the time it was seen as being somewhat of a break with American tradition. There was a fairly heated debate within George H.W. bush's administration as to whether it was appropriate. And ultimately the president determined that it would help Americans get over the so called Vietnam syndrome to be able to celebrate a victorious army.

[Ari Shapiro]

When the US has had military parades like that one, whether it was 1991 or stretching all the way back to the Civil War, you note that they marked military victories.

[Joshua Zeitz]

That's exactly right. There's a long tradition in American history and certainly with the founding generation, which viewed with a lot of skepticism the idea that kings or parliament should keep permanent militaries, so called standing armies. And so the instances in which we did have large military parades, it came at the end of wars and it celebrated the demobilization of large armies. So that would have been 1865, right after the Civil War, 1919 after World War I, 1945, after World War II. These never occurred during peacetime.

[Ari Shapiro]

But there are a couple exceptions. John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower both had parades with troops and weaponry to mark their inaugurations. Even so, Trump is receiving criticism for this parade beyond the cost for the message it's sending. So what do you see as the problem with this parade that the president has planned?

[Joshua Zeitz]

You raise a good point. I mean, prior presidents have used military regal to celebrate or mark other moments. There are obviously military ceremonies that happen, for instance, at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day. There's a military presence at inaugurations, but that's very different from what we're doing here. This is a, this is something that you would expect to see in countries like North Korea or the old Soviet Union or today's Russia, where, you know, strongmen effectively paraded their military and its equipment in an effort to intimidate perceived enemies abroad and at home. This feels much more like that than it does the large scale military parades that occurred after the Civil War or World wars one and two, not only celebrating a victory, but also marking the end of those large standing armies because they swiftly demobilized right after those parades.

[Ari Shapiro]

You say this is reminiscent of dictatorships, but Trump was apparently inspired by a Bastille Day parade that he saw in France, which is a Western liberal democracy. If France can do it, why not.

[Joshua Zeitz]

The U.S. no, I mean, listen, there are other countries that are not part of that sort of access that do parades of this sort. But it's just sharply out of step with American history. Our country was born of a very particular opposition to state power, state authority, to standing armies, which could enforce that type of authority and power. And so even since the Cold War, with a large standing army intact, most presidents have shied away from these types of displays because they really run counter to the founding ideals. And it's hard to take this in isolation. One has to take it in tandem with other measures that the president has taken to really vastly expand the authority, the powers, and the deference accorded to the presidency. He's really reinventing the presidency as something that doesn't resemble what it has traditionally in American history. And the military parade is part of that.

[Ari Shapiro]

We've been looking at some of the coverage of the parade that took place in 1991 at the end of the first Gulf War, and it's clear that it was very meaningful, not just to troops who served in that war, but also to some Vietnam veterans. Here's a quote we found from a soldier named Captain Ben Clapsaddle. He was quoted in NPR's coverage. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. My father was a Vietnam veteran. And the thousands of soldiers and service.

[Joshua Zeitz]

Members that came home from that war.

[Ari Shapiro]

Didn'T receive anything like this. I mean, this is a celebration for all the American people. The people who served in the last two wars that the US Fought in Iraq and Afghanistan didn't get anything like this when those conflicts ended. And the Trump administration says this is about honoring all who served. What's wrong with having a parade like this to honor people who served in the military?

[Joshua Zeitz]

It really depends on how this parade is organized and ultimately what the message is behind it. The fact that it's being held on the president's birthday would suggest that this is less about them and more about him. I think that one can be forgiven for looking at this parade with a little bit of skepticism.

[Ari Shapiro]

Joshua Zeitz is a contributing editor for Politico magazine and author, most recently of Lincoln's How Faith Transformed a President and a Nation. Thank you very much.

[Joshua Zeitz]

Thank you.

[Ari Shapiro]

This episode was produced by Connor Donovan. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Ari Shapiro.

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