The Army is preparing for a potential military parade with 6,600 soldiers on Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, according to a new report.
The detailed plans for the parade next month also call for at least 150 military vehicles, including tanks, 50 helicopters and seven bands, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
AP obtained copies of the plans, which have not been publicly released. The plans did not include expected costs. But AP estimated such a parade, including transporting vehicles and personnel, would cost tens of millions of dollars
The D.C. alternative weekly The Washington City Paper reported in early April that local officials had been told to expect a four-mile procession on June 14, which is both Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. The paper did not have details, however, about the number of vehicles and participating soldiers being considered.
The White House denied the report at the time, telling Politico: “No military parade has been scheduled.”
But D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed that she had been notified about a potential event, though details were sketchy.
Trump had hoped for an over-the-top military parade on Veterans Day in 2018 during his first term after witnessing the military parade up the Champs Elysees in Paris to mark Bastille Day the previous year.
But the idea was scrapped after officials estimated that it could cost at least $21.6 million, and perhaps up to $92 million, as well as potentially seriously damaging D.C.’s roads with military vehicles.
News of this year’s potential plan was instantly attacked last month, particularly in the wake of draconian cuts of federal jobs, agencies and services by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency purportedly to save money.
“It’s not clear to me what the scope of a parade would be,” Takis Karantonis, chairman of the board in D.C.’s neighboring Arlington County, Virginia, told the City Paper after he learned of a possible parade last month.
“I would hope the federal government remains sensitive to the pain and concerns of numerous [military] veteran residents who have lost … their jobs in recent federal decisions, as they reflect on how best to celebrate the Army’s anniversary,” Karantonis said.
Following the new detailed AP report, Republicans Against Trump tweeted Thursday: “Cutting cancer research while wasting money on this? Shameful.”
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.
