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However, doubts have been sown about the popularity of the event. While a White House official claimed that more than a quarter-million people turned out, the AI chatbot Grok—founded by tech mogul Musk, Trump's former confidant—suggested that the figure was "exaggerated."

The military parade kicked off on a miserable, gray and rainy day, and Trump supporters had feared that the weather and anti-Trump protests could keep some spectators away.

However, there is no doubt that tens of thousands of people turned up to watch the show, as tanks rolled through the streets while military jets flew overhead. Video filmed during the event shows people lining the route and milling around. But the footage also shows sparse crowds and empty bleachers, and it remains unclear exactly how many people attended the parade.