FnF News
FNF News | Media & Politics
Published: June 16, 2025
By: Khadija Khan
“Patriotic and Fantastic”: Trump’s Flag Day Parade Ignites Praise — and Media Outrage
As fireworks lit up the skies over Palm Beach and the roar of motorcycle brigades echoed down Ocean Boulevard, thousands of supporters waving American flags and Trump banners packed the sidewalks on June 14, 2025 — a day now synonymous not just with Flag Day, but with former President Donald Trump’s birthday.
To attendees and many in conservative media, it was a moving spectacle: a full-scale, star-spangled, red-white-and-blue celebration of “real America.” But if you were tuned into CNN or MSNBC, you wouldn’t have known it happened — or if you did, you likely heard it framed as a fringe rally built around a personality cult.
That media divide, now deeply entrenched in American political life, was once again exposed — with many conservatives declaring “the real event was ignored, because it didn’t fit their narrative.”
The Parade That Wasn’t Covered
The Flag Day Trump Parade, unofficially organized by conservative grassroots networks and backed by the America First Veterans PAC, drew an estimated 25,000 people to southern Florida, with smaller satellite rallies held in over a dozen red-leaning cities. The event featured veterans, Gold Star families, floats, marching bands, and conservative celebrities, including Kid Rock and Diamond of “Diamond & Silk.”
Fox News aired the parade live. So did Newsmax and One America News Network (OANN). The broadcast was accompanied by breathless praise.
“This is what love of country looks like,” said Jesse Watters during live commentary. “This isn’t about Trump — it’s about restoring pride in America.”
But over at CNN and MSNBC, the story played very differently — or not at all.
“It’s amazing how so many Americans still rely on these stations,” wrote conservative commentator Buck Sexton on X (formerly Twitter). “They lied again. They ignored a massive, peaceful, patriotic gathering because it challenges their worldview.”
A search of MSNBC’s online archives shows no standalone coverage of the parade on June 14 or June 15. CNN mentioned it briefly, referring to it as “a partisan birthday rally with nationalistic overtones.”
Patriotism or Personality Cult?
Critics of the event — mostly from the left — argued that the parade blurred the line between nationalism and civic celebration.
“This wasn’t a Fourth of July parade. It was a birthday party for a former president,” said Joy Reid on The ReidOut. “We need to ask if this is about love for country — or loyalty to a man.”
The comment struck a nerve, especially with conservatives who see traditional American holidays and symbols as under siege by progressive cultural forces.
“It’s always the same,” said Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL). “When we show pride in America, they say it’s fascism. But when they host drag shows funded by the state, that’s called freedom of expression.”
Such rhetorical battles have become a hallmark of America’s culture war, with even national holidays now serving as battlegrounds for identity politics.
A Familiar Pattern of Media Division
This isn’t the first time CNN and MSNBC have been accused of ignoring or downplaying conservative movements. In 2020, pro-police marches and anti-lockdown rallies received minimal or hostile coverage, while BLM protests were given extensive live airtime.
“We have a bifurcated information system now,” says Dr. Elaine McPherson, a professor of political communication at George Mason University. “One group sees a sea of flags and veterans as a civic celebration. The other sees dangerous nationalism. And media on both sides feed their audience what they want to see.”
In a Pew Research Center study from March 2025, 79% of Republicans said they believe mainstream media “actively suppresses or distorts” conservative viewpoints, while 62% of Democrats said right-wing media “deliberately misleads audiences.”
In this environment, events like the Trump parade don’t just happen — they’re interpreted, weaponized, and divided along media fault lines.
What Viewers Missed
For those who only watched CNN or MSNBC, what did they actually miss?
- A military flyover by a group of retired Air Force veterans.
- A flag-folding ceremony honoring families of fallen soldiers.
- Speeches by conservative leaders including Gov. Kristi Noem, Sen. JD Vance, and Trump himself.
- Live performances of classic patriotic songs like “God Bless America” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“It was peaceful. It was proud. It reminded me of how we used to celebrate America without shame,” said 68-year-old parade attendee Walter Jenkins, a Vietnam veteran.
The parade also held moments of silence for 9/11 victims, fallen service members, and even acknowledged the anonymous donor family behind a recent pediatric heart transplant that made national headlines (Emma Santiago, whose story FNF News covered earlier this week, was cheered in absentia by the crowd).
The Bigger Picture: Can Patriotism Be Shared?
Ultimately, the dispute over media coverage speaks to a deeper issue: Is there any version of patriotism that Americans can still agree on?
As the 2024 election fallout continues to shape American identity politics, even basic acts like flying the flag or marching in a parade are now interpreted through partisan lenses.
“We’re at the point where saluting the flag means something entirely different depending on who you voted for,” Dr. McPherson says. “And that’s dangerous.”
In the eyes of many conservatives, however, the takeaway is simple.
“The parade was fantastic,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “And if you didn’t see it, it’s because your news lied to you again.”
Sources:
- Pew Research Center: “Trust and Polarization in U.S. Media” (March 2025)
- United States Organ Donation Registry Report, 2025
- CNN & MSNBC Broadcast Transcripts, June 14–15, 2025
- Live coverage of the parade via Fox News, June 14, 2025
- X posts by @BuckSexton, @RepDonaldsPress
- Interviews conducted by FNF News on-site in Palm Beach, FL
- Dr. Elaine McPherson, George Mason University School of Communication