President Donald Trump had a stern warning for anybody planning to protest this weekend’s military parade in Washington, D.C.
“We’re going to celebrate big on Saturday,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, according to ABC News. “If any protesters want to come out, they will be met with very big force.”
A large military parade will be held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
Saturday, June 14, is also Flag Day in the United States and is also the president’s 79th birthday.
“People that want to protest will be met with big force,” the president said.
Trump said that he didn’t know of any protests planned for Saturday, but added, “But this is people that hate our country. They will be met with heavy force.”
Trump’s comments came as the White House has sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell protests there against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Speaking of Saturday’s parade, Trump said, “We have many tanks. We have all sorts of new ones and very old ones old from World War I and World War II.”
The president said that the military and the U.S. roles in victories in World War I and World War II need to be celebrated as other countries do with their militaries.
“It’s going to be a parade, the likes of which I don’t know if we’ve ever had a parade like that. It’s going to be incredible,” he said.
Trump added that “thousands and thousands of soldiers” will march through the streets in military garb from various eras of the U.S. military.
“We have a lot of those army airplanes flying over the top,” the president said, “and we have tanks all over the place.”
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