As President Donald Trump’s birthday parade kicked off to sparse crowds and muted enthusiasm, all eyes were on those in Trump’s inner circle who managed to make an appearance (those who didn’t included his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner).
Commenters on social media were quick to note that at several points throughout the parade, First Lady Melania Trump appeared to almost be dozing off, or at least resting her eyes at multiple intervals.
At the very least, she looked incredibly bored, as did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Seated between them, Trump looked disappointed or disconcerted—whatever he was feeling, the sour expression on his face suggested it was not an overly positive emotion.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nearby on the stage, cameras caught Secretary of State Marco Rubio yawning as he leaned back in his chair while watching the $45 million proceedings go by.
Attendees in the crowd were likely incredibly bored, too. As The New York Times reported, there were no loudspeakers along the parade route, resulting in videos where the parade is so quiet all that can be heard is the squeaking of tanks as they roll down the street.
Attendees began leaving soon after the last tanks squeaked past, meaning many people missed Trump’s speech, which the Times noted was on the shorter side.
In his brief speech, Trump defended the decision to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Army, telling the crowd, “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did, too.”
