The Real Problem With Trump's Parade

Radio Atlantic

The Atlantic

Politics, News, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this bonus episode of Radio Atlantic, we talk with staff writer Tom Nichols about how all the pieces fit together: the military parade, the president’s speech at Fort Bragg, and the dispatching of Marines to the protests in Los Angeles. It’s not just that President Trump wants to acclimate Americans to the sight of tanks in the streets. It’s not just that Trump is signaling to governors that he will use the forces at his disposal to override their wishes—the real problem is how the military begins to see itself. Read more from The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols on “The Silence of the Generals” and “Trump Is Using the National Guard as Bait.” – Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at theAtlantic.com/listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The day after the Trump administration mobilized 700 Marines to respond to immigration protests in Los Angeles, and four days before his military parade in the nation's capital.
0:19.1	President Trump walked out on stage to Lee Greenwood's God Bless the USA.
0:23.8	God bless the USA.
0:27.5	And boasted about the crowd size.
0:30.1	It's a record crowd.
0:31.0	You never had a crowd this big.
0:33.5	That's an honor.
0:34.7	You think this crowd would have showed up for Biden?
0:36.9	I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think so. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm wrong.
0:43.9	This is stuff straight out of the Trump playbook. Brag about the crowd size. Check. Mention Biden. Check. Call the media, fake news, and whip up the booze against them.
0:55.6	Look at them. Look at them all.
0:57.2	What I have to put up with.
0:59.4	Fake news.
1:01.7	Check and check.
1:03.5	What I have to put up with.
1:06.1	There were a chance of USA.
1:08.3	People bought campaign-style merchandise,
1:10.6	make America great-again hats, and chains,
1:13.0	and fake credit cards that said, quote, white privilege card trumps everything.
1:18.6	But the difference this time was that this all happened at a military base, Fort Bragg in
1:24.5	North Carolina, and the crowd was full of active duty soldiers.
1:29.3	I was elected winning all seven swing states, the popular vote by millions and millions of votes,
	...

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