Trump flexes military might at parade

WASHINGTON (AP) - The grand military parade that US President Donald Trump had been wanting for years barreled down Constitution Avenue on Saturday with tanks, troops and a 21-gun salute, playing out against a counterpoint of protests around the country by those who decried the US leader as a dictator and would-be king.

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The Republican president, on his 79th birthday, sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might, which began early and moved swiftly as light rain fell and clouds shrouded the Washington Monument.

The procession, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, was one Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until the parade was added to an event recognizing the Army's 250th anniversary.

"Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did too," Trump declared in brief remarks at the parade's end.