Trump to host military parade to celebrate Army's 250th birthday, honor active-duty service members, veterans
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump will host a military parade in June to honor military veterans and active-duty service members and commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, Fox News Digital has learned.
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump will host a military parade in June to honor military veterans and active-duty service members and commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, Fox News Digital has learned.
The parade is expected to take place on June 14 — the 250th birthday of the United States Army and also Trump’s birthday.
The parade will have reenactors, equipment and more from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War/Desert Storm and the Global War on Terror (Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria). It's also slated to feature active-duty service members and students at U.S. military academies.
"The President is planning an historic celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday that will honor generations of selfless Americans who have risked everything for our freedom," White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley told Fox News Digital. "Exactly 250 years ago, the first American Patriots died for the cause of Independence. We owe our freedom to them, and to every solider who has given their life for our nation in the two and half centuries since."
The parade comes after Trump, in January, signed an executive order creating "Task Force 250," which is focused on coordinating the plans and activities surrounding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence. The 250th anniversary of America's founding is July 4, 2026.
"As one of the first events of the year-long celebration of our 250th anniversary, this commemorative parade will be a fitting tribute to the service, sacrifice, and selflessness of the brave men and women who have worn the uniform and devoted their lives to defending the greatest experiment in liberty known to man," Vance told Fox News Digital.
The White House is coordinating closely with the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Parks Service and a number of other agencies to execute "this spectacular event honoring our Veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and military history," an official told Fox News Digital.
"We love our military and take great pride in honoring our warfighters," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News Digital. "In celebration of 250 years of the U.S. Army, we will throw the biggest and most beautiful military parade in our nation's history."
Meanwhile, the task force is coordinating "the plans and activities of federal agencies for an extraordinary celebration of the 250thh Anniversary of American Independence."
Task Force 250 builds upon the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration half a century ago. The celebration "emphasized national renewal of our founding ideals after a period of national unrest and division," the White House told Fox News Digital.
In the lead-up to the major 2026 celebration, the White House has celebrated the anniversaries of major events in America’s founding, including the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s "Give Me Liberty or Give me Death" speech in March; the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride in April; and the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
The executive order that established the task force also reinstated executive orders from Trump's first administration, establishing the National Garden of American Heroes, a statuary park memorializing 250 historically significant Americans, and commissioning artists for the first 100 statues.
The National Garden of American Heroes honors "American heroism" after dozens of monuments to Americans, including presidents and Founding Fathers, were toppled or destroyed and never restored.
The order also reinstated an order to protect American monuments, memorials and statues from destruction or vandalism.
The White House said America’s 250th anniversary will "afford an opportunity to unite the American people around their shared history and common future as a nation."
During Trump's first term, he held a unique "Salute To America" event on the Fourth of July in 2019, which was different from typical Independence Day celebrations put on by past presidents.
The event included a prominent display of military hardware with tanks parked near the National Mall and military flyovers by an array of aircraft. It also included an address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial from the president and the typical fireworks display.
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