Trump Plans Military Parade to Showcase US Military Strength
Move over Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, there’s a new sheriff in town — the U.S. military parade.
Per multiple reports, a plan to showcase the U.S. armed forces in a grand parade down Pennsylvania Avenue is underway at the White House and the Pentagon.
As reported by Politico, President Donald Trump was so impressed with France’s military showcase during last year’s French Bastille Day celebration that he has jockeyed for such an event to take place in the United States.
“The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” said a military official speaking on the event. “This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.”
Two officials told the Washington Post that the process of crafting a military parade came after a Jan. 18 meeting at the Pentagon.
White House and Pentagon officials have confirmed that a massive military parade will take place later this year that will showcase the U.S. armed forces,
The Post noted that a military parade is not only a tall order pragmatically, but financially as well.
Shipping military hardware, technology and weaponry to the nation’s capital could cost the government millions, and it is still unclear as to how the event would be paid for.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the news in a statement Tuesday, saying that the president “is incredibly supportive” of the men and women serving in the U.S. military.
“President Trump is incredibly supportive of America’s great service members who risk their lives every day to keep our country safe,” Sanders said. “He has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation.”
And on Tuesday, the Pentagon revealed that the specifics of the parade are currently being worked out.
Back in September, Trump marveled at the military parade that took place during French Bastille Day and praised the spectacle while sitting alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.
“It was military might and I think a tremendous thing for France and for the spirit of France,” Trump said in September. “And people don’t know what great warriors they are in France, but when you see that and you see all the victories, it was a tremendous thing.
“To a large extent, because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July Fourth in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue, if I have your approval,” he added.
The remarks ended with a Trump proposing a little friendly competition.
“I don’t know,” Trump continued as he laughed alongside Macron. “We’re gonna have to try and top it, but we had a lot of planes going over and a lot of military might, and it was really a beautiful thing to see.”
As noted by Politico, the last American military parade to take place in Washington D.C., occurred in 1991 after the U.S. armed forces defeated the Iraqi army in the Persian Gulf War.
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