On Tuesday, President Donald Trump warned that anyone planning to engage in protests against his military parade this weekend would be met with “big force” — a statement that is antithetical to the free speech and assembly rights established by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The military parade, ostensibly meant to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s founding, coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday, leading several critics to suggest that the parade is more about himself (and his authoritarian ambitions) than it is about the military.
The threat from Trump also comes after he has sent thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles, California, to aid raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and to crush anti-ICE uprisings in L.A. Trump has also threatened a militaristic response to protests in other cities across the country.
In comments on the parade to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that Saturday, June 14, will be an “amazing day” that will include Army tanks, planes and “all sorts of things.” He also indicated that his administration was prepared to suppress any demonstrations against the parade.
“If there’s any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,” Trump warned.
Trump repeated his warning later on in the presser.
“Those people who want to protest…[will be] met with very big force,” he said.
Trump also insinuated that those taking part in such protests were un-American, claiming that those protesting his parade would include “people who hate our country.”
However, recent polling data demonstrates that Trump’s views run counter to those of most Americans.
A PRRI poll published on Tuesday, for example, found that more than three-quarters of Americans (76 percent) oppose having a military parade at all, with nearly one in two respondents saying they “strongly oppose” the idea. Only 21 percent of Americans want the parade to happen, the survey showed.
A flash poll conducted by YouGov earlier this week also found that more Americans opposed Trump’s militaristic response to the L.A. protests than supported them. Only 34 percent of Americans backed deploying Marines to L.A., that polling found, while 47 percent were opposed. Similarly, only 38 percent of Americans supported sending National Guard troops to quell the L.A. protests, while 45 percent were opposed.
Trump’s approval rating, which has been in negative territory for months, has also sunk slightly following his announced deployment of U.S. troops to L.A., according to an aggregate of surveys from RealClearPolling. Indeed, an Economist/YouGov poll published on Tuesday found that Trump’s approval rating stood at only 43 percent, with 52 percent of Americans disapproving of his job performance so far in his second term.
Hundreds of demonstrations against Trump, dubbed “No Kings protests,” are set to take place across the U.S. on Saturday, including several near Washington, D.C.
“No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance,” a description of the event on its website reads. “From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like.”
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