The US Army marked its 250th birthday on 14 June with the military parade including roughly 6,600 troops
Users have rushed to social media claiming that the United States Army gave a big ‘f**k you’ to President Donald Trump after spotting one hard-to-miss detail in the military parade which took place over the weekend.
On 14 June, members of the military marched during the US Army’s 250th anniversary parade in Washington DC.
The 78-year-old Republican was joined by his wife, Melania, along with other members of his administration and military leaders for the parade, which reportedly cost approximately $45 million, reported Reuters.
“Tonight, we affirm with unwavering certainty that in the years ahead, and in every generation hence, whenever duty calls and whatever danger comes, the American Soldier will be there.” Trump said during the ceremony.
This event was the first of its kind in the States since 1991, as over 6,600 soldiers, joined by robot dogs and tanks, marched down Constitution Avenue.
Yet, a lot of people across the globe were seemingly not impressed by the parade and even asked if the soldiers had willingly decided not to turn up for the event following footage circling on social media of the soldiers walking somewhat ‘sloppily’ with little coordination in front of a sparse crowd.
One X user shared a clip from the parade along with the scathing caption: “I’ve marched in more military parades than I even care to remember.
“Probably watched dozens more as a spectator. And this is easily the worst and sloppiest marching I’ve ever witnessed at a formal military parade.
“It feels like a big ‘f**k you’ to Trump from the soldiers.”
A second hit out: “Why do they look so relaxed? Is that standard for a military parade?”
“I think it’s code for ‘We hate this mother f**king president’,” declared a third, while a fourth speculated: “Our troops are highly skilled, trained, and prepared. There seems to be no other explanation than sending a message to Trump.”
A fifth wrote: “They looked like they didn’t even want to be there.”
“Good for them!” praised a sixth, as another said: “The formation was a mess. The energy? Dead. The message?
“Clear as day: They’re not marching for Trump. They’re enduring him. This wasn’t patriotism. It was protest in uniform.”
In a statement, the White House claimed that ‘over 250,000 patriots showed up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’. At the same time, The Independent suggests that according to outside estimates, empty bleachers and gaps in the audience indicated that far fewer had attended than expected.
In his speech, Trump thanked the armed forces due to their service and called the US the ‘hottest country in the world right now’.
Trump received military draft deferments five times, once for bad feet and four times for college, and by the age of 22, he had already avoided the military draft four times in order to complete his college education at the University of Pennsylvania.
In the spring of 1968, the year he was set to graduate, he received a diagnosis that landed him a fifth draft deferment that would keep him out of the Vietnam War, which saw more than 58,000 US fatalities.
Trump was diagnosed with bone spurs on his feet, which the NHS describes as ‘bony lumps that grow on the bones’ – making him seemingly unfit for service.