Veterans’ D-Day rally is a chance to set the media straight
Americans need to know how Trump is hurting those who served.
Over the next two weeks, a new battle will take place over the U.S. military. The chief theater in which it’s fought will be the media.
On June 14, if all goes according to plan, President Donald Trump will get the big military parade he has been dreaming of. Officially, it marks the 250th anniversary of the Army’s founding. In reality, it’s also Trump’s massively expensive birthday gift to himself, with taxpayers footing the bill. (The cost is currently estimated at $45 million.) There will be counterprotests as well.
Having spent two decades inside big legacy media, and now tracking its epic failures through my podcast and newsletter They Stand Corrected, I know some things we can expect. Unfortunately, Trump and his supporters are likely to get the exact kinds of storylines they want -- unless the rest of us push the media to do its job.
The good news is that there's an opportunity in advance of the parade to get things moving in the right direction. This Friday, June 6, veterans plan to rally in Washington and around the country. If organizers of these rallies are strategic, and the rest of us help to amplify key messages, we can guide the media to understand and report just how bad Trump is for veterans.
Who comes first
We need to start with the big picture. Most people who have ever served in the military voted for Trump in 2024, according to the available data. (Exit polls are notoriously untrustworthy, but when they show a wide margin, they’re generally in the ballpark.) So when veterans take to the streets to protest this week, the easiest response from Trump and the GOP is, “Veterans overwhelmingly support Trump.” News reports can then cast protesters as fringe exceptions.
That's why it’s crucial to make something clear: Not everyone who voted for Trump in November still supports him today. A poll that has won plaudits for its accuracy has Trump’s overall popularity at a new low. It’s not specific to veterans, and I have not seen a recent poll covering his popularity among those who served. But some veterans who supported him in November are speaking out against him now.
One of the most powerful things protest organizers and everyone supporting the protests can do is highlight the stories of these veterans who feel betrayed and “blindsided” by Trump. Signs at the rallies should make that clear, with lines like “We trusted you,” “Trump abandoned veterans,” and “Veteran. Republican. Regretful Trump Voter.” Social media posts should draw attention to these individuals and their stories.
As a rule, no one in the mainstream media wants to come across as downplaying the struggles of veterans or ignoring what they have to say. If people with these kinds of messages are prominent, news agencies will be more likely to get the point and reflect it in their coverage.
Then the why
Always remember that the vast majority of Americans don’t dig into complexities of news stories. If you want to help people understand problems, you need to provide them with “bite-sized” chunks. That's not condescending; it’s respectful of their time.
So, in signs at the rallies, interviews with media, social media posts, and Substack headlines, make the why simple and clear. For example, “DOGE fires veterans,” a reference to the inaccurately titled Department of Government Efficiency that slashed the federal workforce. Veterans make up 6% of the U.S. population but a whopping 30% of federal workers. Or “Trump endangers our health,” because his cuts threaten access to treatments for cancer, traumatic brain injury, and more. Or “Save the suicide hotline,” because Trump has been cutting staff at the Veterans Crisis Line, even though suicide is the second biggest cause of death among veterans under age 45.
Or try the biggest picture message of all: “We fought for democracy, not this.” Let veterans be the ones to explain to reporters why Trump, a wannabe authoritarian, is a threat to democratic freedoms. Link this message to the date itself: “Defending democracy, D-Day and now.” Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin made this point two years ago during the Biden administration. (Added plus: It’s very unlikely that Trump understands what D-Day even was.)
We who are fighting for democracy need to understand the power of keeping messages focused and clear. The veterans’ protest is not a day to introduce other issues, get lost in complexities, or use tired arguments that failed during the election season.
I’ll be back next week with ideas on how we should handle June 14 and the “no kings” protests against Trump.
Josh Levs is host of They Stand Corrected, the podcast and newsletter fact-checking the media. Find him at joshlevs.com.