Politics

Hillary Clinton Mocks Trump’s Military Parade Turnout as ‘Low‑Energy’

By Jake Beardslee · June 16, 2025

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized President Donald Trump over the underwhelming turnout at a military parade held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. The event marked both the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and Trump’s 79th birthday.

In a pointed Instagram post on Sunday, Clinton contrasted images of Trump’s sparsely populated celebration with photos from the “No Kings” protests that took place across the country. “On the one hand, Trump’s low-energy Dear Leader parade (that cost you $45 million),” she wrote. “On the other, millions of people across the country gathering peacefully to say: Here, we have no kings.”

Army officials had projected attendance of around 200,000 for the D.C. event, but Associated Press photographs and reports described empty bleachers and subdued crowds. HuffPost’s S.V. Date noted that the turnout paled in comparison to typical Fourth of July festivities and was dwarfed by the millions who participated in over 2,000 protests nationwide.

White House spokesperson Steven Cheung claimed the parade drew 250,000 people, though journalists from both the BBC and NBC News disputed that figure.

The “No Kings” protests, coordinated in part by the ACLU, aimed to denounce what organizers described as Trump’s authoritarian tendencies, including his immigration crackdowns and the deployment of military force against peaceful demonstrators in Los Angeles. The ACLU reported that the protests were held in over 2,100 locations and drew more than five million participants.

The public response may also reflect broader dissatisfaction with Trump’s leadership. According to a June Quinnipiac poll, 54% of registered voters disapproved of his immigration policies, 56% disapproved of his economic handling, and 54% disapproved of his presidency overall.