Army marks 250 years with parade that coincides with Trump's birthday

The massive military parade that President Donald Trump has long wanted is set to step off from the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday evening, with tanks, bands, and thousands of troops.

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And the biggest question marks are whether it will be overshadowed or delayed by either the weather in Washington or planned protests elsewhere around the country.

Falling on Trump's 79th birthday, the parade was added just a few weeks ago to the Army's long-planned 250th anniversary celebration. It has triggered criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates down along the route.

The daylong display of America's Army comes as Trump has shown his willingness to use his fighting forces in ways other US presidents have typically avoided, inviting an array of lawsuits and accusations that he is politicizing the military.

He has deployed the California National Guard and US Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests tied to immigration raids. It marks the first time in 60 years that a president activated the National Guard on federal orders inside a state without a governor's permission, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom has filed a lawsuit to stop the deployments.