On June 14, the Army held the parade Trump always wanted for its 250th Anniversary. The parade also happened to coincide with Trump’s own birthday and was met with much anticipation on both sides of the aisle. The parade was expected to draw 200,000 attendees, and the White House claimed it drew 250,000; however, this number is contested by on-the-ground journalists, who claim the numbers fell well below 250,000. Whole swaths of the National Mall were notably absent of participants, and many people began filing out before the parade formally ended–possibly in an effort to avoid projected showers and thunderstorms that ultimately did not materialize.

Meanwhile, protesters gathered across the nation and in DC to denounce the parade, which many claimed was a politicized affair to celebrate Trump rather than the Army’s own 250th birthday. Refuse Fascism and Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, held their own protest in DC. The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA–or REVCOM–espouses revolution, the total overthrow of capitalism, and the overthrow of the United States as an “imperialist-capitalist state,” according to its Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in America. Refuse Fascism’s and REVCOM’s protest travelled from Logan Circle to Lafayette Square, in front of the White House on June 14 before the Army’s parade commenced. Much of the protest’s focus was on denouncing ICE activities across the nation. Some protesters also positioned themselves at the exit of the parade to denounce Trump supporters as they exited the parade.

In DC, all protests and parade activities appeared to remain peaceful, and I did not observe any violence or clashes between groups while covering these events.