President Donald Trump said he is prepared to use "very big force" against anyone who protests his military parade on Sunday, prompting widespread comparisons to a dictatorship.
"We're celebrating big on Saturday," Trump happily declared while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, referencing the Army's 250th anniversary celebration scheduled for Sunday, which coincides with the president's 79th birthday. The festivities will reportedly cost around $45 million.
"If there's any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force," Trump then repeatedly warned in a social media clip shared by journalist Aaron Rupar.
"I haven't even heard about a protest, but, you know, this is people that hate our country," Trump continued. "But they will be met with very heavy force," he added before ending the press conference.
Trump says anybody who protests the military parade on Sunday will be met with “very heavy force” pic.twitter.com/iDm4qVzKg3
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 10, 2025
Trump's apparent threat to suppress Americans' First Amendment right to protest was immediately met with backlash on social media, where users drew comparisons to dictators like North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
"He wants to be Kim Jong-un so badly," an X user joked.
He wants to be Kim Jong-un so badly
— DatHandsomeJerk (@DatHandsomeJerk) June 10, 2025
"Straight up dictator language. Unacceptable in the United States of America," another added.
Straight up dictator language. Unacceptable in the United States of America.
— D. Stamos/Helodriver (@SpacecoastPix) June 10, 2025
"Yeah, how dare you interfere with the president wasting tax payer money for his birthday party. Thats not a dictatorship at all," a third user sarcastically noted.
Yeah, how dare you interfere with the president wasting tax payer money for his birthday party.
— Manna (@OhMyManna) June 10, 2025
Thats not a dictatorship at all.
"Full dictator mode," another social media user wrote. "Trump's throwing a parade for himself — and threatening violence against anyone who disagrees. This isn't a leader. It's a wannabe Mussolini in makeup."
Full dictator mode.
— AnatolijUkraine (@AnatoliUkraine) June 10, 2025
Trump’s throwing a parade for himself — and threatening violence against anyone who disagrees.
This isn’t a leader. It’s a wannabe Mussolini in makeup.
The administration has gone to extreme lengths to secure Sunday's celebration, including hiring thousands of police officers for the event, installing metal detectors, anti-scale fencing and concrete barriers, and deploying drones to surveil the crowd, USA Today reported.
In response to the extravagant and costly celebration, a nationwide "No Kings" protest billed as a "day of defiance" is planned for Saturday, June 14. It aims to "reject authoritarianism and show the world what democracy really looks like."
"Donald Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display for his birthday. But real power isn't staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else. And, the flag doesn't belong to Donald Trump. It belongs to us," an official event page read.
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