Trump holds military parade in Washington DC amid 'No Kings' protests

United States President Donald Trump has kicked off a military parade in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army. You're looking at live pictures from the event in DC right now. The large-scale parade coincides with Trump's 79th birthday. The President and the First Lady Melania Trump are taking center stage for the event. More than 6,000 soldiers are estimated to be taking part, along with military tanks and helicopters. The parade is estimated to cost around $45 million and has been met with counter protests in Washington and across the United States. DW correspondent Benjamin Alvarez-Gruber is in Washington where the parade is taking place. So Benjamin, talk us through how the parade has unfolded so far. So the parade is underway, which the President Trump had since his first time in office in 2017. He went to the French capital invited by French President Emmanuel Macron. He saw a military parade there and he said, I want to have a parade like that in Washington, DC. During his first term there were a couple of attempts were then not made possible also due to the cost. Now it's happening. The organizers were expecting around 200,000 people. That's definitely not the case from this position that we can see here. But a very important aspect there is also the weather today. We've had some rain and of course the concern by authorities that they might need to postpone or change the scheduling of this military parade. But yes, it already started. We have tanks and armored vehicles rolling down Constitution Avenue here in downtown Washington, DC. A parade that is seen as a celebration of the 250th birthday of the army, but that many are seeing critical and not just because of the financial aspect of the cost of bringing all these armored vehicles and tanks here to Washington. Now, of course, we've also seen counter protests around the United States under the banner of No King. So what exactly are protesters demanding? That's right. There are several protests taking place in the United States, a very big one in Philadelphia, also in Chicago, not here in the downtown Washington, DC area. Many organizers knew how tight the security would be here with Secret Service, with the military guarding this parade. Driving around this area of the National Mall has been a nightmare for those driving around with cars. So they focused on other cities to protest the so-called No King's protest, not just because of the parade, but also of the recent action of those immigration raids carried out by the Trump administration. Also, the scenes that have unfolded in Los Angeles over the last couple of days, where the White House did not only send troops off the National Guard, but also active duty Marines to call the protests that we've seen there. Now, U.S. authorities are also investigating what they say are politically motivated killings in Minnesota. What effect is that having on today's parade and those other protests across the United States? That's right. That's something that shocked not only Washington. We had reactions from Democrats and also from Republicans of the governor. Tim Walz also said something there. So it's quite a stark contrast to the scenes that we're seeing here, considering this shooting, where the investigation, of course, is ongoing. But seeing the National Mall, seeing the army also handing guns, all types of guns to families, taking pictures there, of course, it's always striking, I'd say, regardless of the place where that happens. But only hours after we heard about this killing, about this shooting, of course, it gives a different context to what we're seeing here, because the army, of course, is using these opportunities, is using to parade, to present themselves and also to engage with civil society that have traveled, some of them to Washington, D.C., to see the parade, 250th parade, the birthday of the army that coincides with the birthday of the president. Now, we've been seeing political escalations from around the United States, from those raids you mentioned in L.A. to today's protests and, of course, that what looks to be a politically motivated killing in Minnesota. So the question is, is there anyone in the United States who's trying to turn the volume down on this political division? It's definitely heating up if we look at those political clashes. In the last couple of days, we've been covering the situation in Los Angeles, this political conflict between the White House and the Democratic governor Gavin Newsom. The killing, of course, adds another layer to that, but it's kind of quite the stark contrast between those that are in the mall, are celebrating at the National Mall, and those who are criticizing the militarization of what we're seeing here, saying that $45 million could be spent, well, better spent on a different thing and not on this military parade unfolding here on the streets of the U.S. Capitol. That was DW correspondent Benjamin Alvarez-Gruber in Washington. Thank you very much for your reporting.