A large military parade showcasing American power, requested by President Donald Trump to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary, took place in Washington, D.C., featuring tanks, troops and marching bands.

The United States Army will hold its 250th Birthday Festival throughout the day on Saturday with a parade later in the afternoon. It's also President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, and Flag Day.

It comes amid one of the most tumultuous weeks of his presidency, with troops in Los Angeles, bombs launched in the Middle East and a targeted killing of a Minnesota lawmaker.

MSNBC host Chris Hayes couldn’t contain his laughter on air Friday while reading a fundraising email from President Donald Trump. The email asked for donations for his Saturday military parade, which, as it turns out, most Americans aren’t that eager to fund.

The military parade to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary and its convergence with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday are combining to create a peacetime outlier in U.S. history. Yet it still reflects global traditions that serve a range of political and cultural purposes.