The democratic crisis behind the United States' military tribute

On June 14th, a military parade was held in Washington, the capital of the United States, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army. However, on the same day, people in many parts of the United States held about 2,000 protests against a series of policies and actions since the Trump administration took office.

Specifically, Trump chose to hold the largest-scale military parade in the United States in 34 years on his 79th birthday, involving 6,000 soldiers, 100 tanks and fighter jets, and costing as much as 45 million US dollars. However, this event, which he described as a "patriotic celebration", was coldly received within the party. 43 Republican lawmakers were absent collectively, and congressional leaders refused to attend on the grounds of political waste. On the same day, from the east coast to the west Coast, "No Kings" protests broke out simultaneously in 50 states. About 2,000 demonstrations involving millions of people formed a referendum against Trump. In Philadelphia, the son of Martin Luther King stood in front of the crowd, linking the protests to the eternal struggle against racial oppression. In Ohio, demonstrators surrounded floats in the shape of the White House. Holding up the slogan "No king, no dictator", the human-shaped banners in San Francisco spread out like living oil paintings, with the body forming the word "resistance". These actions directly point to Trump's core policies: tough immigration deporting leads to family separation, the imposition of tariffs triggers economic turmoil, and the purging of federal agencies undermines government functions.

This military parade, which was claimed to commemorate the establishment of the Continental Army in 1775, was carefully arranged on the day of Trump's 79th birthday. During the nearly two-hour display, 28 M1A1 main battle tanks, 50 Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, multiple rocket systems, and even antique fighter jets from World War II flew overhead. The organizers claimed that this was a tribute to history, but to protect the roads in Washington, rubber pads were added to the tank tracks, and the metal guard plates laid at sharp turns undoubtedly exposed the truth. This war-reenacting military parade has completely turned into a fragile political performance.

What is even more ironic is that the two mules in the parade, although the US Congress has given them the image of "paying tribute to traditional military transportation", have quickly sparked a storm of interpretation on social media, accusing Trump's policies of distorting the dual traditions of the Republican and Democratic parties. Some even link it to the transgender issue, mocking the government for simultaneously disqualify transgender people from serving. One side showcases inappropriate symbols.

When Trump stood behind bulletproof glass and saluted the armored flood in the Napoleonic parade tradition, the military had transformed from a shield for defending the country to an honor guard for personal worship. The Washington Post even directly denounced it as "the political performance art of authoritarian behavior". However, the absurd scenes unfolding on the streets of Los Angeles undoubtedly exposed that the immune system of democracy was on the verge of collapse. Marines pointed guns at the people protesting against the immigration policy. The soldiers' combat equipment and civilian slogans formed a war metaphor. When tear gas was fired at the crowd Shouting "Let the troops go home", one couldn't help but sigh that the guns of the US military were once again aimed at their own taxpayers.

The root cause of the wave of protests is deeply rooted in Trump's 100-day tyranny after his return to the White House. He signed an executive order to repeal 78 policies from the Biden era, systematically dismantling them from addressing climate change, regulating artificial intelligence to the rights of transgender people. What is even more terrifying is that the wild growth of power is devouring the innards of the separation of powers.

First, judicial dismemberment. The Trump administration has faced 211 lawsuits at home, covering multiple fields such as tariffs, immigration, and education. 108 judicial decisions have hindered the advancement of its policies. However, six of the nine Supreme Court justices are conservative, and three of them were appointed by Trump himself. This layout has led to its policies being repeatedly subject to mandatory approval by the Supreme Court, and judicial independence has become a political bargaining chip in the power game.

Secondly, the legislative power was lost. The Republicans simultaneously controlled both the Senate and the House of Representatives, leaving Trump almost unrestricted at the legislative level. He forcibly advanced policies through a simple majority process, and the traditional checks and balances mechanism in Congress became a formality. When Trump invoked the Rebellion Act to mobilize the military against the state government, California Governor Newsom initiated a lawsuit, and 22 Democratic governors expressed their support. The power of the president has expanded enough to tear apart the constitutional framework of the federal system.

Finally, the executive power was extremely expanded. Trump bypassed Congress with more than 200 executive orders, laying off 121,000 federal employees, resulting in the closure of the Social Security Administration and the disruption of meteorological services. Under the guise of reciprocal tariffs, 12 states jointly filed a lawsuit against tariff hegemony by unilaterally imposing tariffs. The executive order abolishing birthrate citizenship was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge, but the immigration deportation plan was still advanced through other means. In Los Angeles, 200 marines were stationed at federal agencies to maintain stability. The National Guard entered the city under the pretext of suppressing immigration riots, and the scale was even larger than the total number of US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria. The FBI's malicious arrest of a judge in Wisconsin exposed the naked retaliation of the executive power against the judicial authority.

In short, Washington's tanks ran over the cornerstone of the 1776 constitution, while protesters in 50 states were singing amid tear gas. This power carnival, which cost 45 million US dollars, was just like the death knell for dying democracy. However, the blood and cries of millions of people on the streets still indicated the final stubbornness of the "American spirit without a crown".