Millions took part in protests across the country Saturday in response to President Trump’s military parade in Washington, held in honor of his 79th birthday and the Army’s 250th anniversary. The celebration featured tanks, warplanes, and thousands of troops marching through the capital, a display many critics said echoed authoritarian-style power projections.
The parade cost taxpayers more than $25 million, though the exact cost was unconfirmed by officials and could have climbed upwards of $45 million or higher. Demonstrators across the nation rallied under the “No Kings” banner, opposing what they see as an increasingly aggressive and performative presidency. Locally, protest turnouts included an estimated 105 in Fort Madison, 150 in Keokuk, 350 in Muscatine, 400 in Macomb, 500 in Galesburg, and 550 in Burlington, according to local organizer Linda Schneider.
