Trump’s military parade is shocking to those who remember history | Opinion

Editor’s note: The author disclosed that this op-ed was written with the assistance of AI to aid with grammar and vocabulary. It was edited by journalists. Read more on our AI policy here.

I moved to the United States 14 years ago after marrying an Idahoan, full of hope and admiration for a country I believed stood for freedom, diversity and democratic values. I was proud to become part of a nation that welcomed people from different backgrounds, granted them rights, ensured their safety and allowed them to contribute through work, taxes and civic participation.

That pride has started to erode.

When I return to visit family in Germany, I’m met with questions I can’t easily answer: What is happening to the United States? Why does it seem to be aligning with Russia? Why is it turning away from long-standing alliances in Europe?

These are not hostile questions but genuine confusion from people who grew up seeing the U.S. as a beacon of stability, partnership and moral leadership. I’ve tried to find explanations — even online — and have come up short.

One particular development is especially troubling: The current president’s plan to throw himself a full-scale military-style parade. For many Americans, this might seem like a bold show of patriotism. But for those of us raised in countries that have endured real war, this is chilling. In places like Germany, military displays by political leaders are a red flag — an echo of authoritarianism, not national pride. They are a reminder of how easily democracy can slip into something else.

While I understand that President Donald Trump has long expressed admiration for strongman leaders and rejected traditional alliances, I used to believe Congress would act as a safeguard. In the past, both Republicans and Democrats upheld bipartisan commitments to NATO, to democratic norms and to a balanced foreign policy.

But where is Congress now? Why is there so little resistance to this new direction? Why does there seem to be silence — or worse, quiet approval — as these norms are upended?

Have we become so politically divided that our representatives are unwilling to take a principled stand, even when the values that once defined the United States are at stake?

I don’t ask these questions to provoke. I ask them because I still want to believe in the country I chose to live in.

I want to be able to look my family in the eye and say that America, at its core, still knows who it is.