SHINGTON/LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK -President Donald Trump's long-sought military parade rolled though the streets of downtown Washington on Saturday (June 14), but the celebration of the US Army's 250th anniversary was marred by a day of violence and discord.

In the hours before the parade began, hundreds of thousands of Americans marched and rallied in streets in cities from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles protesting Trump's actions while in office.

Earlier in the day, a gunman assassinated a Democratic lawmaker and wounded another in Minnesota and remained at large.

Meanwhile, Israel on Saturday pounded Iran with a second barrage of strikes in a bid to destroy its nuclear programme after Iran retaliated with strikes the evening before, stoking fears of a mushrooming conflict between the two nations.

All of it followed a week of tension in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration raids resulted in Trump calling in National Guard troops and US Marines to help keep the peace.

Trump's parade, which falls on his 79th birthday, started earlier than expected. Thunderstorms were forecast in the Washington area.

Thousands of spectators lined up along Constitution Avenue near the National Mall as the parade got under way with a brass band. Trump watched the proceedings from an elevated reviewing stand and was cheered when introduced.

The president has long desired to hold a military-style parade in the United States, but such events have been rare in US history.

In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War.

The US Army has brought nearly 7,000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, and artillery pieces including the M777 and M119.

The celebrations will cost the US Army between $25 million (S$32 million) and $45 million, US officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops.

Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government.

Bryan Henrie, a Trump supporter, flew in from Texas to celebrate the Army's anniversary and did not see any issues with tanks rolling down the streets of Washington.

"I don't see a controversy. I will celebrate safety and stability any day over anarchy," 61-year-old Henrie said.

'Shame! shame!'

Earlier in the day, thousands marched in Washington and in other cities in protest of Trump's policies. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, and marked the largest outpouring of opposition to Trump's presidency since he returned to power in January.

Anti-Trump groups planned nearly 2,000 demonstrations across the country to coincide with the parade. Many took place under the theme "No Kings," asserting that no individual is above the law.

All planned "No Kings" protests in Minnesota were cancelled following that Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said was the "politically motivated assassination" of one Democratic lawmaker and wounding of a second.

In Los Angeles, a large crowd of protesters faced a large contingent of Marines guarding the Roybal federal building downtown, the site of clashes between protesters and officers earlier this week.

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Standing about 10 feet away from the Marines, the crowd yelled in unison, "Shame! Shame!" and "Marines, get out of LA!"

Despite rain, thousands of people of all ages turned out in and around Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, many carrying homemade signs that played off the "No Kings" theme. "No crown for a clown," said one. Actor Mark Ruffalo was among the demonstrators, wearing a hat that read "immigrant."

"We're seeing dehumanizing language towards LGBT people, towards people with autism, towards people with other disabilities, racial minorities, undocumented people," said Cooper Smith, 20, from upstate New York. "Somebody's got to show that most Americans are against this."

Protestors in downtown Chicago stood off against police on Saturday, with some waving upside-down American flags and chanting: "Who do you protect? Who do you serve?" and "No justice, no peace".

Allan Hallie, a 70-year-old retired gastroenterologist, travelled from the northwest Indiana town of Ogden Dunes to protest policies of the Trump administration.

"I am quite afraid of the direction of this country," he said.

Members of the far-right Proud Boys, ardent Trump supporters, appeared at an Atlanta "No Kings" protest, wearing the group's distinctive black and yellow colors.

About 400 protesters, organised by a group called RefuseFascism.org, marched through Washington and gathered for a rally in a park opposite the White House. Trump had warned people against protesting at the parade itself, saying that "they're going to be met with very big force."

Sunsara Taylor, a founder of RefuseFascism, told the crowd, "Today we refuse to accept Donald Trump unleashing the military against the people of this country and in the streets of this country. We say, 'hell no.'"