Trump's admirers and enemies alike attend his military parade

American democracy is not dead yet. And Rick Johnson (60) has the protest sign in his hands to prove it. 'Support our military. Fight Agent Orange', he has written on it. Next to it is a caricature of Donald Trump as a bloated king. Johnson is not at one of the approximately two thousand demonstrations against the president on Saturday, but along the route of the military parade that Trump himself has organized in Washington. To get here, he had to pass the military security of the event.

Johnson and his wife had been to an anti-Trump protest outside the capital before coming here, unsure if they would make it to the route of the parade of soldiers, tanks and horses. “We were bracing ourselves,” he says.

Trump had warned that anyone who dared to disrupt his parade with a protest message would face "a lot of violence." But that turned out not to be the case. "All I had to do was take down the stick I was holding up the sign with. Because, understandably, sticks are not allowed in this area. I'm pleasantly surprised. Our freedom of speech is still intact here."

Then a man wearing a black cap with the Army logo and "retired" written in yellow letters starts shouting something unintelligible but clearly unfriendly at him. "It's the first negative overtly negative reaction we've had," Johnson says, shrugging.

The former soldier, who did not want his name in the newspaper, later explained: "I'm not angry. I served in the army for 30 years, in two different wars. I know people who died to protect their right to do so. I respect that. I just think it's inappropriate, selfish and self-righteous to do this today. This should be about the 250th anniversary of the army."

Caught up in polarization

For most people, it is. There was a lot of fuss beforehand about the military parade with six thousand soldiers, fifty helicopters, dozens of tanks and combat vehicles and historical equipment. The United States has no tradition of military display in its own streets. And precisely in the week that Trump mobilized soldiers against protesters in Los Angeles, he has them march through the center of Washington on his own birthday. The actions on both coasts are seen by Trump's opponents as a way to intimidate his own population.

Trump seizes every opportunity with an audience to turn it into a kind of campaign moment. It is no coincidence that the parade is today: it is not only the birthday of the American army, but also of Trump (79) himself. Earlier this week he gave a speech at the Fort Bragg army base, North Carolina. Military personnel, who are supposed to be politically neutral, not only clapped for their president, they also booed the governor of California, the mayor of Los Angeles, former president Joe Biden and the press - a clearly partisan statement. It later emerged that the military personnel present had been selected based on their appearance and political preference.

The military, like almost every other institution of social relevance, seems to be sucked into the polarization of the United States. But at the parade, solidarity is the order of the day. An extremely diverse group, in age, color and class, is here, among other things, “to see tanks.” “Because we were in DC this week anyway and this is something fun to do.” And “to honor our soldiers.”

No one, not even those wearing 'Make America Great Again' hats, says they are here to honor and glorify the birthday president. "Everything is being politicized," says Itai Hochhauser (26), a naturalized Israeli American wearing a red Trump hat. "Can we just express our appreciation today for these people in uniform, who never say who they vote for?"

No king

Much more political, and with a much higher turnout nationwide, are the protests that, according to American media, took place at two thousand locations under the title 'No Kings'. Visitors to those protests describe the military parade as dictatorial and Trump as an autocrat. They are angry, frustrated and afraid about the way in which Trump is breaking down institutions, firing civil servants, deploying military personnel and deporting migrants by decree and without trial.

In Arlington, Virginia, just across the bridge from Trump’s military feast in the capital, protesters form a ribbon along a major thoroughfare, making it impossible to say anything meaningful about the turnout. It is certainly a less diverse crowd than at the parade. As at an earlier protest, it is dominated by white, older people.

Cars honk as they drive past Laura Cohen (61), who is holding a sign that reads: "The power of the people is stronger than the people in power." She feels "sick" about everything Trump is doing in his second term. Especially about how he and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy are dismantling science, health care and the vaccine program.

“Some people talk about a constitutional crisis, but I think we’re long past that point. We’re living in an autocratic oligarchy now,” says Cohen. “Our judges are doing what they can, but it’s too little and too slow.” So what’s the point of demonstrating? “I have no idea, but it gives me hope to be here with like-minded people. Otherwise I’d just be lying on the couch at home scrolling through bad news.”

She also hopes that this protest will encourage people who voted for Trump to speak out against him. “I understand that people voted against the status quo in November, but I can’t imagine that his abuse of power is what they wanted.”

Information war

A little further on is Nathan Dalton (27), with his wife Stephanie (28). They have been to all kinds of protests and actions in recent months and years. "I'm really worried about our democracy. Historically, when someone tries to seize or retain power, success always depends on which side the military is on. The signs have not been good lately," he says. "But what really scares me is the information war. So many people in this country have no idea what's really going on. That problem will probably last longer than Trump is alive."

Yet he is less pessimistic about the current state of American democracy than many other protesters. "You can see that Trump remains sensitive to public opinion. He backed off a bit on the cuts to the federal government when he noticed that it was unpopular. There are cracks in our democracy. But it is not broken yet."