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babylonsister

(172,140 posts)
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 06:56 AM 15 hrs ago

The parade no one came to.

Found on FB @ Expand Dem Values in the House and Senate...


The parade no one came to.

Trump finally got his dream. 6,000 soldiers. 128 tanks. A row of flags. A pathetic spectacle staged for TV optics. An audience you could count without taking off your shoes. At best, 3,000 people showed up.

At one point, he looked ready to cry. The tank treads squeaked, echoing down empty streets as the microphones went live and the cameras rolled. The grand moment arrived, but no one came.

Even his own people couldn’t hide it. The cameras caught Pete Hegseth sitting next to him, scowling, visibly irritated to be there. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was yawning repeatedly. Kristi Noem sat there shaking her head like she was bored. It looked less like a celebration and more like a hostage tape.

Meanwhile, across the country, between 7 and 15 million people poured into the streets.

Over 2,100 protests unfolded across the nation under a simple banner: No Kings.

Most cities flooded with Americans who still understand we don’t crown kings here.
While one man staged his fantasy parade, the nation turned its back. The speeches in the streets drowned out the tanks.

Trump’s parade: no applause, no loyalty, no audience, just squeaky wheels echoing through empty bleachers and streets while the republic gathered elsewhere.

You can’t manufacture reverence. You can’t demand respect. You can’t stage a parade big enough to cover the absence of legitimacy or your feeble attempt at power.
Real power belongs to the people.

History will record both moments. Only one will be remembered with pride.

I saw a North Korean Kim Jong-un parade today. It was massive compared to Trump’s small, quiet, empty birthday party. Poor little guy. He should’ve taken a page from the dictator and forced everyone to attend. It would’ve played better on TV. 🇺🇸
32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The parade no one came to. (Original Post) babylonsister 15 hrs ago OP
Beautifully written malaise 15 hrs ago #1
That is beautifully written. ETA: Malaise, I swear I didn't see your post before I wrote that! Scrivener7 15 hrs ago #2
"It looked less like a celebration boonecreek 14 hrs ago #3
More paradees than viewers Demovictory9 14 hrs ago #4
And his sedated inflate-a-wife couldn't wait for it to be over so she could get away from him. NBachers 14 hrs ago #5
"sedated inflate a wife" !!!! I call her "pay per view." CTyankee 13 hrs ago #11
Snort!!! niyad 12 hrs ago #22
pay per view ZDU 12 hrs ago #25
Snicker niyad 12 hrs ago #23
K&R spanone 14 hrs ago #6
A little fun math -- 70sEraVet 14 hrs ago #7
I could have done a parade for 90% less. Hugin 12 hrs ago #17
The buffoon on ketamine is notably less "active" on his fascist propaganda machine lately... Justice matters. 11 hrs ago #27
I wonder who was the sap that had to console him... rubbersole 14 hrs ago #8
dont give him ideas DonCoquixote 13 hrs ago #9
Yeah, good luck with that shit. paleotn 13 hrs ago #13
For the DIY'ers in the back ... dweller 11 hrs ago #30
..... paleotn 11 hrs ago #31
I only saw clips of it on you tube. pwb 13 hrs ago #10
Tech bros. Imagine! paleotn 13 hrs ago #14
I never thought about it before, but military parades by nature must be totally boring Ohioboy 13 hrs ago #12
He went to bed with a narcissistic injury Ruby the Liberal 13 hrs ago #15
No way 7 to 15 million people showed for No Kings protests Fiendish Thingy 13 hrs ago #16
Local paper showed a photo of a regiment in Continental Army uniforms. Fer fux sakes. 3Hotdogs 12 hrs ago #18
I was comparing this US Army's 250th Birthday Parade to... mwooldri 12 hrs ago #19
Ooops. Sounds like somebody forgot to book any marching bands ms liberty 12 hrs ago #20
"Those Sons-a-bitches" "I'll make them pay for their insolence" "This is MY America! " chouchou 12 hrs ago #21
His handlers are hard at work this a.m. figuring out what ego strokefest they have to come up with to counter yesterday NCDem47 11 hrs ago #29
My favorite line in the article Dave Id 12 hrs ago #24
Great. Problem is, if the convicted felon is not gone next year... Justice matters. 12 hrs ago #26
Not a whole lot sadder than a child when nobody wants to come to their party mahina 11 hrs ago #28
I'm disappointed none of the coverage Hassler 1 hr ago #32

Scrivener7

(55,995 posts)
2. That is beautifully written. ETA: Malaise, I swear I didn't see your post before I wrote that!
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 07:00 AM
15 hrs ago
I woke up nervous yesterday, but it could not have gone better.

NBachers

(18,612 posts)
5. And his sedated inflate-a-wife couldn't wait for it to be over so she could get away from him.
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 07:47 AM
14 hrs ago

70sEraVet

(4,585 posts)
7. A little fun math --
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 07:54 AM
14 hrs ago

$45,000,000 (cost of parade) divided by 3,000 (number of audience at parade) equals $15,000 (cost of parade on a per-person basis).
Where is Elon's DOGE when you need them?

Hugin

(36,223 posts)
17. I could have done a parade for 90% less.
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 09:05 AM
12 hrs ago

Get a few companies worth of “troops” on Craig’s list and a half dozen “tanks” from Tractor Supply. Have them run around behind the reviewing stand after each pass and form up for another.

A Potemkin parade for a Potemkin President.

This is not a new idea, by the way. I believe Patton did it at least twice.

Justice matters.

(8,437 posts)
27. The buffoon on ketamine is notably less "active" on his fascist propaganda machine lately...
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 10:10 AM
11 hrs ago

A lot less "active" but still spewing his vile vomit from time to time.

rubbersole

(9,919 posts)
8. I wonder who was the sap that had to console him...
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 08:00 AM
14 hrs ago

...Malaria probably took her appearance money and split. Stephen Miller blamed immigrants and went to hang upside down in the basement. Hegseth drained his flask and headed out to "dinner" with Hannity. ICE Barbie and Lewandowski had plans. So Eric and Lara sang 'til it hurt. Which was shorter than tsf's attention span.

DonCoquixote

(13,894 posts)
9. dont give him ideas
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 08:05 AM
13 hrs ago
I saw a North Korean Kim Jong-un parade today. It was massive compared to Trump’s small, quiet, empty birthday party. Poor little guy. He should’ve taken a page from the dictator and forced everyone to attend. It would’ve played better on TV.

Trump may very well start doing that, and bring on king kim's penchant for mass executions.

paleotn

(20,491 posts)
13. Yeah, good luck with that shit.
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 08:50 AM
13 hrs ago

Robespierre called. Said he's got experience in this line of work if we need any assistance. Least he could do for those who inspired his nation's "de-kinging." We'll just need to dust of the old equipage.



paleotn

(20,491 posts)
14. Tech bros. Imagine!
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 08:53 AM
13 hrs ago

Amazon, Coinbase, and Palantir among others. Tech bros need to be put in their place by any and all means necessary.

Ohioboy

(3,680 posts)
12. I never thought about it before, but military parades by nature must be totally boring
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 08:48 AM
13 hrs ago

How many tanks and people in uniform do you have to see before you've seen them all?

And military hardware is not exactly pretty or fun.

Glad Chump and his toadies had a bad time.

Ruby the Liberal

(26,461 posts)
15. He went to bed with a narcissistic injury
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 08:57 AM
13 hrs ago

Be interesting to see if he woke up with a seething rage for revenge.

The people have spoken.

Fiendish Thingy

(19,536 posts)
16. No way 7 to 15 million people showed for No Kings protests
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 08:59 AM
13 hrs ago

While this is a good description of Trump’s sparsely attended, extravagantly expensive vanity parade, it is just a FB post after all, and no one should take its estimate of the NO Kings turnout as anything approaching accurate.

With the exception of a few large cities like Chicago, turnout in most places was reported to be under 10,000- there’s no way that adds up to 7 million, let alone 15 million, which would be close to 5 percent of the total US population, something that has never happened before, not even during the civil rights/Viet Nam era, when 5 percent would have been a much smaller number.

What is impressive about the No Kings turnout is that it was so widespread- a few thousand here, a few hundred there, even in deep red areas.

3Hotdogs

(14,251 posts)
18. Local paper showed a photo of a regiment in Continental Army uniforms. Fer fux sakes.
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 09:21 AM
12 hrs ago

How much did it cost the gub'mint to get those and when will they ever be worn again?

And how many other historical uniforms were ordered, never to be worn agai --- Oh. stupid me. If we're unlucky, he might have a birthday next year and need another parade. Just take those old uniforms out of the closet.

mwooldri

(10,634 posts)
19. I was comparing this US Army's 250th Birthday Parade to...
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 09:29 AM
12 hrs ago

... The Kings Birthday Parade aka Trooping the Colour. That was on Saturday too.

8,000 in the stands. Thousands more in the Mall and around Buck House. Unlike DC, it was a hot sunny day in London. And unlike the Trump family, folk in the Mountbatten-Windsor household have served in the military. And also unlike the event in DC, Trooping the Colour happens every year. And it's a smaller event, not involving military equipment... 2000 people and horses take part.

I was trying to see if there were any official figures for attendance at both events... Article says 3,000 people attended? A WH spokesperson claimed about 600,000 people. Organisers hopes for 20,000 people. Realistically it was a few thousand - and the weather was blamed in part for why the number was low. Meanwhile Trooping the Colour was sold out (tickets had to be bought). None of the main US broadcast network broadcast the Army event live in its entirety on their main channels, generally streaming the event on their rolling news channels. The BBC had Trooping the Colour live on their main channel.

The US Army's 250th birthday party could have been a great event. The chief problem with the event was who we now have in place as Commander in Chief. And you can't have that kind of event without the CiC.

All I can say is Lord Help us come July 4th, 2026.

ms liberty

(10,278 posts)
20. Ooops. Sounds like somebody forgot to book any marching bands
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 09:30 AM
12 hrs ago

Squeak...squeak...squeak




Dumba***s

chouchou

(1,972 posts)
21. "Those Sons-a-bitches" "I'll make them pay for their insolence" "This is MY America! "
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 09:39 AM
12 hrs ago

I'm not kidding. Wouldn't surprise me if he comes up with some ridiculous "Punishment"

NCDem47

(2,858 posts)
29. His handlers are hard at work this a.m. figuring out what ego strokefest they have to come up with to counter yesterday
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 10:21 AM
11 hrs ago

It's all but guranteed.

Dave Id

(114 posts)
24. My favorite line in the article
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 09:42 AM
12 hrs ago

"an audience you could count without taking off your shoes." Hahaha! Beautiful!

Justice matters.

(8,437 posts)
26. Great. Problem is, if the convicted felon is not gone next year...
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 09:55 AM
12 hrs ago

8647'ed, or impeached and convicted, or dead ( from old age or dementia, or syphilis, or stroke... not murder ), the convicted felon and traitor will "force" everybody to be there.

Hassler

(4,383 posts)
32. I'm disappointed none of the coverage
Sun Jun 15, 2025, 08:33 PM
1 hr ago

Caught Kegbreath slipping his flask out of his coat for a sip of courage.

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