You don’t get to wave the flag while you’re shredding the safety net beneath it.
On June 14, Donald Trump will mark his 79th birthday the only way he knows how: by throwing himself a multimillion-dollar military parade so bloated, so self-indulgent, and so absurd it could only be outdone by a toddler's birthday party with a bouncy house full of tanks.
It's being billed as a "celebration of the Army's 250th anniversary." Cute. But let's be real: this isn't about the Army. Or celebrating our military or veterans. It's about Donald Trump's ego.
The price tag? Up to $45 million.
The real cost? Programs for working families that Trump is actively trying to gut.
While armored vehicles rumble through the streets of D.C., and fighter jets roar overhead to salute one man's vanity, Trump and MAGA Republicans are slashing:
- SNAP benefits, making it harder for families to put food on the table
- Job Corps programs, which help young people climb out of poverty and into careers
- Federal jobs, targeting the very workers who keep our government functioning
And while Trump rolls past veterans in his personal parade of power, his budget would gut veterans' health care and community programs, too.
You don't get to wave the flag while you're shredding the safety net beneath it.
This isn't leadership. It's a cartoonish display of authoritarian cosplay, more at home in Pyongyang than Pennsylvania Avenue.
The people Jim speaks with aren't asking for fireworks and fighter jets. They're asking for affordable groceries. A living wage. Health care. Stability. A shot at a better future for their kids.
If Trump wants a birthday gift, we suggest he try empathy. Or better yet: retirement.
Team McGovern is about calling out the waste, the cruelty, and the con — and building a government that works for us. Thank you for standing with us.
In solidarity,
Team McGovern
