Trump caused his supporters to support misery to attend his military parade

Washington – did not rain in the parade of President Donald Trump on Saturday, which his critics expected.

But it was still quite miserable.

Trump launched this military parade for himself. He turned 79 on Saturday, and his gift for himself was Spend dozens of millions of dollars in taxpayers money To shoot tanks through the streets of DC it has been Your unfulfilled dream Since his first term, and since the army was already planning a celebration of its 250 anniversary, Trump was held to his plans and ordered the Pentagon to link the army event with an authoritarian style showcase of the United States soldiers and weapons of war.

It was a very long and uncomfortable day. The Army Festival began at 11 in the morning, and the parade did not start until 6:30 pm, thousands of people and families of all ages stopped in long and slow lines in the National Shopping Center to overcome the security of the festival in heat oppressive. And then he did it again for the parade, except that this time the line continued for blocks.

The result? While Trump and other VIP sat in relative comfort, the attendees of the parade, whether faithful or simply military fans, were thrown into an environment apparently designed to drain their energy before the main events. And as the day progressed, they were increasingly surrounded by bustling anti-trump protesters.

People could get water once inside the festival, but the food was scarce, save a couple of ice cream vendors and some free lollipops thrown on a table. There was barely shadow. The children still had fun, climbing by the helicopter cabins and about the tanks where parents posed for photos with their young children pointing to huge weapons. It was full, but certainly not to its maximum capacity. For all the lines to enter, it was easy to walk. In the front, rows of chairs established by the main stage they sat empty.

Jen Benderry/News themezone

When he approached the time to go to the parade, he was not clear where to go. There were not many signs. Hours in the sun, the children began to melt, and the streets barricaded to traffic were full of thousands outside the towns wandering, asking police officers to instructions from a security control point that was blocked.

Then the protesters appeared. They were a strong contrast with this slow scene: energized, singing, dancing, exploiting songs against the War of the speakers while holding signs by calling Trump a fascist. Dozens of them gathered next to a long line of people who expected to enter the parade, so the attendees had to stand there while the protesters shouted how dangerous and horrible Trump was.

“TRAITOR!!!!” A protester shouted repeatedly in a demonic voice through a megaphone, just meters from those attending the parade nowhere near the security control point yet.

If people still had resistance at this time, the view of the lines of the long blocks to spend the security of the parade was enough to make some of them throw the towel. News themezone observed how several people and families wandered to evaluate the line, spoke between them and then moved away.

“I am old and tired,” said a middle -aged woman to News themezone, from outside the security perimeter. She said she had a ticket for the parade, but that she left to go home.

Some attendees were not exactly there to celebrate Trump. They had their own reasons to come.

George Washington himself was among them. He was lying under a tree near the Army Festival, with a head of the head of the 18th century. He said he was there to celebrate Flag Day.

“Americans have regained their pride and hope in the United States,” said Washington, who is also called James Manship. “I love being among the patriots. It’s like a family reunion.”

Jen Benderry/News themezone

His opinion was asked about the enormous protests of “no kings” that take place throughout the country that day, challenging Trump’s authoritarian efforts, the management said that “part of our system” is that people have the right to express themselves. But things took a turn when he compared Anti-Trump protesters with the British loyal in the revolutionary war, and then falsely said that the Pro-Trump rioters simply expressed themselves when they broke into the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

He shared a photo of himself by stirring a pro-trump flag and an American flag outside the Capitol that day. “I saw that it was a configuration,” said the handling of the shock between the uproar and the police. “So I said that the best thing for me is to get out of here. I said a prayer, I turned around and marched.”

Matthew Puit was sitting near a barrier with his wife, Eliana, who was taking photos of the Capitol in the distance. They arrived at DC from Mays Landing, New Jersey, but not for the parade, for a baseball game of the Washington nationals, so they thought they would also visit the Army Festival.

“It is part of the story,” said Eliana, who requested to use only his first name.

“I like weapons and tanks and, therefore, I could get photos,” said Puit.

None said they had strong opinions about Trump’s protests because they are considered “without politics.” But Eliana said she recently read about what “non -kings” protests were, and said he could relate to his anti -authority message.

“I just don’t want authoritarian. I don’t want other types of Fidel Castro,” said Eliana, who is originally from Miami.

When asked how they feel about Trump’s tough immigration application, they both said they work with people who are immigrants and are afraid. Eliana said she provides medical care to homeless populations, and many of her patients have stopped reaching appointments.

“I have people with testicular cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer who are not reaching their follow -up,” he said. “They fear we are going to inform ice.”

Dressed in a red, white and blue monkey, and a cowboy hat, Christopher Quaglin in New Jersey stopped next to a massive flag that said: “On January 6 it was an internal work.” He was a defendant of January 6 who spent two years in prison, however, before Trump released him, it was sentenced to 12 years For police officers repeatedly, spray them with chemical irritants and steal the riot shields of police officers.

Quaglin said “he lost everything” after going to prison, and the reason he attended the events of the day was “for despair for money.” He wants to take a tour of universities to talk to students about how difficult it was for him in prison and advocate for penitentiary reform.

He said he felt confused about Trump chasing undocumented immigrants who are not violent criminals. But moments later, he said that he was fine and blamed former President Joe Biden for “left the border open for four years.”

“Apest, but you have to fight fire with fire,” Quaglin said about stopping and deporting immigrants who are not violent criminals. “They forced [Trump’s] hand.”

At the end of the day, the only people visibly energized and happy, at least among the multitudes of people who sleep after the parade ended, were the protesters. Even some secret service agents seemed higher.

An agent passed through News themezone murmuring about how to disperse the crowd after the parade and seemed reluctant to be aggressive about it, “only for some propaganda whores.”

The protesters had grown by the dozens when people left the parade. They gathered in a corner of the street by one of the departures of the parade to greet people with teasing and signs such as “all the spurs of the hail commander” and “stop fascism now.”

“Fuck Trump!” The attendees who leaked from the event shouted in unison. “It

Then, after a painfully long day of lines and suffocating heat, many of the people who presented themselves to honor Trump in Gear Gear ended their day shameing publicly.

But Trump still received his birthday parade.