Recently, the internet has been abuzz with reactions to a particular aspect of President Donald Trump’s military parade speech, which many have labeled as ‘sad and pathetic.’
President Trump marked his 79th birthday on Saturday by attending a military parade in Washington DC, held in honor of the US Army’s 250th anniversary.
He was accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, his family, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as he walked out to ‘Hail to the Chief’ and ‘Happy Birthday.’
The parade featured an array of military displays, including tanks, aircraft from various eras, parachuters, and over 6,000 soldiers in historical uniforms marching through the capital.
The event aimed to chronicle the history of the American Army, beginning with the Battle of Lexington in the Revolutionary War up to the present day.
At the conclusion of the parade, Trump addressed the audience and military personnel in an eight-minute speech, stating: “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too.”
He further declared, “We’re the hottest country in the world right now. If you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you.”
The parade was aired on numerous networks domestically and internationally, but it was Fox News’ broadcast that caught significant attention online.
Some Reddit users suspect that Fox News may have added ‘claps and cheering’ to their coverage during Trump’s speech.
One user commented, calling it ‘sad and pathetic,’ while another expressed embarrassment for the US, saying: “That’s so pathetic. I’m embarrassed for… the entire US at this point.”
Another person humorously noted: “Lmao! Louder than the band and you can hear it slowly turn down like a volume slider.”
A sound engineer weighed in, stating: “As a sound engineer, to me on a quick listen this sounds like a crowd in a small arena.”
However, another individual pointed out that the audio differences might be due to varying equipment setups across different channels.
They stated: “They didn’t add in clapping, on other streams and sources you can still hear the crowd cheering. More than likely, this is just due to differences in how they set up their audio equipment.”
The White House communications director, Steven Cheung, claimed that over 250,000 ‘patriots showed up’ for the event, despite potential rain.
This claim has been met with skepticism, as outlets like the Associated Press, the New York Times, and Fox News suggested the actual turnout was much smaller.
The event also faced opposition from protesters who organized a counter-demonstration in Philadelphia to contrast their movement with what they described as a “costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade” in Washington, according to The Independent.