Flag Day, which normally passes with little fanfare each June 14, is getting more attention this year—from President Donald Trump, the U.S. Army, and anti-Trump demonstrators.
The Trump administration has planned a grand celebration for the Army’s 250th anniversary, with a large-scale military parade and other events scheduled in the nation’s capital. The June 14 date coincides with the president’s 79th birthday.
The events will be held in the wake of riots in California in opposition to federal immigration enforcement actions.
Flag Day commemorates the adoption of America’s first national flag, as approved by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.
The group said it didn’t want Trump’s “birthday parade” to be the center of attention.
On June 10, Trump told reporters that he hadn’t heard of any counterdemonstrations to the Flag Day and Army anniversary festivities.
“We’re going to be celebrating big on Saturday ... and if there’s any protests who [want] to come out, they’re going to be met with very big force,” the president said. “[These are] people that hate our country.”
The separate camps’ June 14 events come at a time of heightened tensions over increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. After ICE helped snare dozens of alleged illegal immigrants accused of serious crimes in Los Angeles on June 6, anti-ICE demonstrators showed up en masse throughout the weekend and into the following week.
Many waved foreign flags as they defied police orders to disperse. Some protesters turned violent and pelted officers with rocks, water bottles, and explosives, according to police. They also blocked traffic, set cars ablaze, and looted businesses.
In response, police deployed chemical irritants and aimed less-lethal munitions such as rubber bullets at the most violent agitators; more than 100 people were arrested.
Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles on June 7 drew a court challenge from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and opposition from progressive groups, including No Kings.
“Now, this military escalation only confirms what we’ve known: this government wants to rule by force, not serve the people,” the group said, calling on participants to “make it clear: we don’t do kings in this country.”
In response to The Epoch Times’ request for comment, the White House did not address the group’s criticisms of the president but noted that the Secret Service addressed security concerns in a briefing with reporters.
Thousands of officers from local, state, and federal agencies are being assigned to provide security for the Washington events, and several hundred thousand people are expected to attend, the Secret Service told reporters on June 9. No credible threats had been reported, according to officials.
The Army has said that the day-long celebration will include concerts, fireworks, and displays on the National Mall, at a cost of $25 million to $45 million.
The parade and other events will feature more than 6,700 soldiers from bases across the United States, 50 helicopters and aircraft from different war eras, and military tanks.
A performance by the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team will cap the events. The group intends to present Trump with a folded flag, and the president will then conduct a swearing-in of 250 recruits or re-enlistees.
Airspace over the nation’s capital and roadway traffic will likely be affected, according to officials.
Organizers of the No Kings events said they believe that millions will participate in their events, which have been well-publicized. Facebook users posted screenshots of full-page ads that appeared in large newspapers coast-to-coast promoting the June 14 gatherings.
The ad says that Christy Walton, heiress to the Walmart empire, paid for the ads. The Epoch Times has sought comment from the Walton Family Foundation.
The No Kings group held protests in February around President’s Day. Those rallies were held to oppose Trump’s executive orders and other policies.
“Donald Trump thinks he is a king. ... You’re a president, not a king,” the ad stated.
The “no kings” phrase appears to have emerged in late 2024 after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion in a presidential immunity case that affected the criminal cases then pending against Trump. She said that her colleagues’ ruling, which limited the scope of accusations against him, turned the commander-in-chief into “a king above the law.”
