A 33-mile trip from one protest in Annapolis, Md., to the parade grandstand in front of the White House was like a journey between two different countries.

As millions of Americans protested at “No Kings” rallies across the country, onlookers gathered in Washington on the president’s birthday for a muted celebration.

President Donald Trump deemed his multimillion dollar military birthday parade a “tremendous success” Sunday, despite it being dwarfed by the thousands protesting against his presidency on the same day.

Fox News Digital spoke to attendees of the D.C. military parade, some who had traveled hundreds of miles to participate, about why they had come to the nation’s capital for the event.

Palantir, the data analysis and technology firm whose contracts with the federal government are expanding, and Coinbase, a cryptocurrency firm that donated to the president’s inauguration, also sponsored the event. Oracle, a database company whose co-founder is a close friend of Mr. Trump’s, received a shout-out on Saturday as a sponsor.

Sen. Rand Paul criticized the June 14 military parade, arguing that it was too expensive and “glorified” weapons.

Vice President Vance spoke at the Army’s 250th anniversary parade, saying how proud he is of U.S. soldiers. He also wished President Trump a happy birthday and nodded to his wife on their wedding anniversary.

The parade is telling the story of the U.S. Army’s history, beginning with the Revolutionary War. Soldiers are marching in historic uniforms, with military assets from each major conflict represented.