Rubio caught yawning as Trump parade attendance ‘barely touches 5,000’ mark at $45M event

Marco Rubio was caught yawning at President Donald Trump’s widely panned $45 million military parade in Washington, D.C., which was largely overshadowed by “No Kings” protests across the country.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was spotted yawning alongside fellow Republicans during President Donald Trump’s largely unsuccessful military parade in Washington, D. C. on Saturday.

Rubio, a Trump Administration official, appeared utterly disinterested as he sat in the viewing stand, one arm casually draped over his chair, yawning through the subdued parade. The event, intended to celebrate the US Army’s 250th anniversary and the president’s 79th birthday, didn’t go as planned. Inclement weather forced an early start, about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, and the looming clouds led to several flyover shows being canceled.

By the mid-way point of the expensive event, numerous White House officials, including Trump himself, seemed exhausted and unenthusiastic. First Lady Melania Trump, who had an awkward interaction with her husband towards the end of the parade, appeared to be on the verge of falling asleep, reports the Irish Star.

READ MORE: Viewers all say same thing minutes into Donald Trump’s ‘boring’ military paradeREAD MORE: Dementia fears raised as mysterious lump spotted in Trump’s pants

Education Secretary Linda McMahon maintained a stern expression throughout, as if she was reluctantly in attendance.

Even President Trump eventually lost his enthusiasm as the parade dragged on. Perched atop the viewing section with several cabinet members, Trump saluted each passing unit with a broad smile.

However, about 30-45 minutes later, the president ceased standing and his wide grin gradually faded into a half-smile, giving the impression that he was drifting off.

What was anticipated to be a grand event, drawing an audience of 20,000 Americans from all corners of the country, according to initial estimates by the US Army, turned out to be a damp squib. The turnout seemed to barely touch the 5,000 mark, with some observers on X arguing that it was less than 1,000.

President Trump addressed the sparse crowd, which included Army recruits and his supporters, with a peculiar message for military academy graduates: “have a good life,” This came just months after his administration slashed funding for the Department of Veteran Affairs.

The Trump administration is likely to face criticism over the expensive event, which was largely overshadowed by nationwide “No Kings” protests. The total cost of the event remains unknown.

Moreover, military officials had predicted that the tanks would damage the pavement along Constitution Avenue, potentially costing between $3 to $16 million in repairs.

Tim Hogan, former manager of the Ilikai Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii, conducted an experiment to estimate how many people would actually make the trip to DC for President Trump’s military parade.

Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories

“I ran some room reservation requests for 13-15 for cheap rooms that would not be available in a period of high occupancy. I can say with a reasonable degree of certainty, nobody is coming to DC,” he posted on X on Monday.

He also blamed the weather for the low turnout, but the rain didn’t seem to hinder the event except for canceling a few flyover shows. Army officials had predicted around 20,000 attendees for the birthday celebration, but it’s doubtful that the Trump administration achieved that target.

Sign up to our FREE newsletter and get the top stories to your inbox