White House Insists Trump 'Supports Peaceful Protest' Despite Him Threatening Military Parade Demonstrators With Possible 'Force'

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed a reporter who questioned if President Donald Trump would allow peaceful protest during a large scale military parade scheduled for Saturday.

"Of course the president supports peaceful protest," Leavitt replied with a smile. "What a stupid question."

Despite Leavitt's implication that the president's support for peaceful protest is obvious, Trump left press with a different impression yesterday, promising that protestors would be met with force.

"By the way, for those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force," he said.

"I haven't even heard about a protest, but, you know, this is people that hate our country," Trump added, repeating the warning. "But they will be met with very heavy force."

The military parade — estimated to cost roughly $45 million — falls on Flag Day, the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and the president's 79th birthday. Efforts to secure the celebration are underway, with thousands of police officers hired, metal detectors, anti-scale fencing and concrete barriers installed, and drones ready to surveil the crowd, USA Today reported.

The event follows ongoing protests that began last week in Los Angeles in response to sweeping ICE raids around the city. Despite California Governor Gavin Newsom's insistence that outside force would only aggravate tensions, Trump deployed the National Guard and marines, condemning the demonstrations as a violent insurrection.

Hundreds of "No Kings" protests are planned to take place across the country on Saturday, though not in any areas that would overlap with Trump's parade. Committed to nonviolent action, the mobilization is billed as a "nationwide day of defiance."