Donald Trump issued a stark warning today ahead of a planned military parade in the nation’s capital this Saturday, saying that any protests against him will be met with overwhelming force.
“If there’s any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,”
Trump said during a press conference at the White House.
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The president’s threat comes just days before his birthday and Flag Day, which this year will be marked by a controversial military parade in Washington, D.C., complete with armored vehicles, flyovers, and U.S. troops on display.
But while Trump prepares for the celebration, more than 1,600 protests are planned worldwide on the same day—organized under the banner of “No Kings Day,” a coordinated global rebuke of authoritarianism and what organizers describe as Trump’s ongoing dismantling of American democracy.
Protesters are expected to gather in dozens of U.S. cities and across the world on June 14. Organizers of No Kings Day describe it as a decentralized day of action against the erosion of democratic norms, with Trump’s parade seen as a symbol of creeping authoritarianism in the U.S.
Advocacy groups and legal experts are raising alarms over the president’s threat, warning that the use of force against peaceful demonstrators could constitute a violation of First Amendment protections.
In addition to the warning about Washington, Trump has publicly stated that he would consider invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 in response to protests in Los Angeles—a law that allows the president to deploy U.S. military forces domestically in extreme situations.
Such a move would be highly controversial. While the Insurrection Act has been invoked sparingly in American history, its use against peaceful or constitutionally protected protests would raise serious legal and ethical questions.
With tensions high and global attention focused on the U.S. capital, June 14 is now shaping up to be a pivotal day—not only in American politics, but in the ongoing struggle over democracy, dissent, and the use of force in a free society.
This story is developing.
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