Melania Appears to Doze Off During Trump’s Birthday Military Parade
Marco Rubio was also caught yawning on camera.

Photo Illustration by Victoria Sunday/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
As President Donald Trump’s birthday parade kicked off to sparse crowds and muted enthusiasm, all eyes were on those in Trump’s inner circle who managed to make an appearance (those who didn’t included his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner).
Trump looking absolutely inconsolable at his fascist-themed 79th birthday party which no one turned up to other than those who had to because he's their boss. pic.twitter.com/3BqYLrn8f0
— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) June 14, 2025
Commenters on social media were quick to note that at several points throughout the parade, First Lady Melania Trump appeared to almost be dozing off, or at least resting her eyes at multiple intervals.
At the very least, she looked incredibly bored, as did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Seated between them, Trump looked disappointed or disconcerted—whatever he was feeling, the sour expression on his face suggested it was not an overly positive emotion.
they're having a hard time hiding their boredom pic.twitter.com/jXMrB9fA2F
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 14, 2025
Nearby on the stage, cameras caught Secretary of State Marco Rubio yawning as he leaned back in his chair while watching the $45 million proceedings go by.
ADVERTISEMENT
Attendees in the crowd were likely incredibly bored, too. As The New York Times reported, there were no loudspeakers along the parade route, resulting in videos where the parade is so quiet all that can be heard is the squeaking of tanks as they roll down the street.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Attendees began leaving soon after the last tanks squeaked past, meaning many people missed Trump’s speech, which the Times noted was on the shorter side.
In his brief speech, Trump defended the decision to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the United States Army, telling the crowd, “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did, too.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
