Yesterday, the American public witnessed one of the most extravagant and unusual displays of patriotic pageantry in recent memory: an Army festival and military parade in the nation’s capital. Nearly 7,000 soldiers, 28 Abrams tanks, 50 helicopters, 34 horses, two mules, and a single dog marched through a cloudy and drizzling Washington, D.C. The event, a celebration of the Army’s 250th anniversary, also fell on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday—and took place against a backdrop of fierce immigration crackdowns and nationwide protests against the administration. While millions demonstrated across the country, crowds in the capital appeared lower than expected as thunderstorms threatened in the forecast.