‘Setting sun’: on Trump’s parade day, Chinese media see a US in decline

Donald Trump’s large-scale military parade on Saturday – the first in the United States in decades – prompted Chinese commentators to point out and mock the contrast between the US president’s pageantry and the nationwide unrest sparked by his immigration policies.

The festivities in Washington coincided with protests around the nation that underscored the country’s deep divisions.

In China, some state media and online commentators declared Trump’s “America first” policy a failure in light of the mass demonstrations and law enforcement response, and said it reflected the United States’ “uncertain future”.

“The parade reflects [Trump’s] urgency to proclaim that ‘America is great again’ … Yet, no matter how it’s staged, it only reinforces the sense that the halo of the United States is fading, and its deep-rooted institutional problems remain unresolved,” said the Beijing Daily, a state-affiliated publication. “Instead, it evokes deja vu of ‘the setting sun’s afterglow’ and ‘a past that cannot be reclaimed’.”

China News, another state-run outlet, added that the day symbolised how “democracy is struggling in the mud”.

“On this day, there are celebrations and protests … In 2025, the United States is moving towards an uncertain tomorrow – amid gunfire and slogans,” it said.