State Secretary Rubio wasn’t the only official who seemed tiredSecretary of State Marco Rubio was caught yawning along with other Republicans during President Donald Trump’s largely unsuccessful military parade Saturday in Washington, D.C.
The Trump Administration official, with a look of sheer disinterest, sat in the viewing stand with one arm slung across his chair as he yawned during the quiet parade. The event meant to celebrate the US Army’s 250th anniversary—and the president’s 79th birthday—did not go as planned. The rain forced the event to start roughly 30 minutes early, and the thick clouds led to the cancellation of several flyover shows.
Several White House officials, including Trump himself, looked very tired and unenthusiastic by the mid-way point of the costly event. First Lady Melania Trump, who shared an awkward moment with her husband toward the end of the parade, looked like she was falling asleep. Education Secretary Linda McMahon had a stern face the entire time as if she was forced to attend.
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The rain forced the event to start roughly 30 minutes early, and the thick clouds led to the cancellation of several flyover shows(Image: AFP via Getty Images)Even President Trump eventually lost the pep in his step as the parade dragged on. Sitting atop the viewing section with several members of his cabinet, Trump saluted every unit that passed with a wide grin.
About 30-45 minutes later, the president stopped standing and his grin has slowly faded into a half-smile as he appeared to be drifting off.
The lackluster event was initially expected to draw a crowd of at least 20,000 Americans from across the country, according to previous estimates by the US Army. However, it looked as if barely 5,000 came out—some on X argued it looked to be fewer than 1,000.
President Trump delivered short remarks to Army recruits and his supporters. He issued a bizarre message to military academy grads, telling them to “have a good life,” and proceeded to praise the US Army just months after his administration made deep funding cuts to the Department of Veteran Affairs.
The Trump administration is almost certain to receive backlash over the costly event, which was heavily overshadowed by “No Kings” protest that occurred simultaneously across the country. It remains to be seen just how much money was used to throw the event.
Additionally, military officials expected the tanks to damage the pavement along Constitution Avenue, which could cosy anywhere between $3 to $16 million to fix.
Army officials estimated that about 20,000 people would have shown up for the birthday bash, but it’s very unlikely the Trump administration met that goal(Image: AP)Tim Hogan, who previously managed the Ilikai Hotel in Honolili, Hawaii, ran an experiment to gauge how many people would actually travel to DC for President Trump’s military parade.
“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 wrote on X on Monday.
He also cited the weather as being a discouraging factor, but the rain didn’t appear to impeded the event outside of canceling a few flyover shows. Army officials estimated that about 20,000 people would have shown up for the birthday bash, but it’s very unlikely the Trump administration met that goal.