Donald Trump’s parade on Saturday—meant to honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and coinciding with his 79th birthday—drew sharp criticism from retired Army Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson, who called the event a “colossal waste” during a Sunday interview on MSNBC.
Despite service members being praised for their professionalism, Anderson said the parade misrepresented military values.
“That’s not who we are,” he said. “We don’t march down the streets like that. We prove our strength through actions, not pageantry. That’s something dictators do.”
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Anderson highlighted the staggering cost and disruption caused by the celebration, which included shutting down parts of Washington, D.C. for days.
“$45 million—just what the White House admits to,” he noted. “They shut down the 14th Street Bridge, closed the airport for hours, and basically paralyzed the city. Roads will need repairs, Uber drivers lost work, hotels were shut down. The cost goes far beyond the parade itself.”
He also blasted Trump for diverting military construction funds.
“Trump already stole $1 billion from MILCON for the border wall,” Anderson said. “That money should be renovating barracks, building child care centers, supporting military families. Instead, it was wasted on a parade to stroke his ego.”
With a crowd that reportedly thinned out early and continued backlash from veterans, the event left a sour note for many in the military community.
