Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul opposes Donald Trump's military parade, compares it to North Korea

Christopher Leach, Lexington Herald-Leader on Jun 11, 2025

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A military parade celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday this weekend is expected to draw a lot of interest, but it’s also garnered plenty of criticism — including from a Kentucky senator.

The parade, on Saturday on Constitution Avenue at the National Mall in Washington, is expected to draw around 200,000 attendees, according to The Independent. Officials have prepared for the parade by installing more than 18 miles of “anti-scale fencing” along the route and bringing in 175 magnetometers, similar to metal detectors, at security checkpoints.

The parade also coincides with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Trump has wanted to have a domestic military parade since 2017 after watching a Bastille Day parade featuring French troops and fighter jets, according to Politico.

However, multiple Republican Senators, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican, have shared concerns about the message and cost of the parade, even comparing it to the behavior of militaristic countries like North Korea.

“Never been a fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks rolling down the street,” Paul said in an interview Tuesday with CBS News. “If you ask me, I wouldn’t have done it.”

The parade will begin near the Lincoln Memorial and end near the White House. It is expected to feature 6,600 troops, 25 M1 Abrams main battle tanks, a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter plane and other military equipment, according to Politico.

The parade is expected to cost around $25 million to $40 million, according to Politico.

Counter demonstrations dubbed “No Kings” protests have been planned across the U.S. and Kentucky. In all, 14 protests are planned in Kentucky, including in Lexington and Louisville.

Trump has threatened to use “very big force” against protesters, according to Reuters. Thousands of law enforcement personnel from agencies across the country are going to the nation’s capital to provide security for the event.

“We were always different than the images you saw of the Soviet Union and North Korea. We were proud not to be that,” Paul said in the CBS interview. “I’m not proposing that’s the image people want to project, but I’m worried about the image that it isn’t necessarily the best image to show.”

It’s not the first time Kentucky’s senator has spoken out against Trump.

Paul has publicly opposed the president on numerous occasions, mostly because of fiscal concerns. Most recently, Paul criticized Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which includes tax cuts but could increase the debt ceiling by nearly $5 trillion.

The longtime senator also criticized the Trump administration’s on-again-off-again tariffs imposed on trade partners.

“I had a very good conversation with the president this week about tariffs. He did most of the talking, and we don’t agree exactly on the outcome,” Paul said during an interview this month with CBS Face the Nation.

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—Staff writer Taylor Six contributed to this story.