Russians Mock Trump's Military Parade in Viral Video, Comparing His Standards to China

Memes mocking the lackluster turnout to President Donald Trump's highly-anticipated military birthday parade on Saturday have transcended borders, with a viral video out of Russia drawing attention online.

The video draws an unflattering comparison between footage showcasing the exacting choreography of Chinese military parades and the lackluster display that rolled through Washington D.C. on Saturday.

As Chinese military members march in precise, coordinated movements, overlaid Russian text reads, "How Trump Imagined His Parade," according to journalist Julie Loffe. When the video switches to footage of Trump's military parade, the caption changes to "What he actually saw."

Accompanying music intensifies the contrast, abruptly switching from a triumphant ensemble march to a clownish bumbling tuba, reminiscent of the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme song. The soldiers in army fatigues are out of step, with spectators in the stands — including Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — struggling to stay awake.

"The Russians are trolling Trump," Loffe wrote, sharing the video.

"Even the Russians are mocking Trump's disaster of a parade," another X user captioned the video. "This one's going to sting 🤣."

It's unclear how many people were in attendance, but photos of sparsely populated bleachers have cast doubt on White House Communications Director Steven Cheung's claim that 250,000 were in attendance. Weather forecasts warning of rain and thunderstorms prompted an early start to the event and may have deterred some parade-goers.

The military parade, held in honor of the Army's 250th birthday — which happened to also be Trump's 79th birthday — was intensely scrutinized as an expensive and poorly timed display of authoritarianism.

Elsewhere, No Kings protests were held across the United States, with estimates of 11 to 12 million demonstrators taking to the streets. Leading up to the protest, critics of the administration were spurred on by mounting tensions in LA, where Trump has deployed the National Guard and Marines in response to anti-ICE protests, and by opposition to the parade itself.

If Trump was disappointed by the gap between how he imagined the parade and how it turned out, he didn't let on publicly. On Sunday, he described the event as "a tremendous success with a fantastic audience."