Donald Trump birthday parade: White House in talks with Washington mayor for military spectacle
The Trump administration is having early discussions about a grand military parade in Washington, something that is a long-held dream of US President Donald Trump.
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday said the administration had reached out to the city about holding a parade on June 14 that would stretch from Arlington, Virginia, where the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery are located, across the Potomac River and into Washington.
The Army is in early discussions about potentially adding a parade to the Army’s 250th birthday festival, which is being held June 14, according to a defence official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are ongoing and no decisions have been made.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.June 14 is also Mr Trump’s 79th birthday.
The White House, in a statement, said that “no military parade has been scheduled”.
The Army birthday festival, which has been in the planning stages for about two years, is to include an array of activities and displays on the National Mall, including Army Stryker armoured vehicles, Humvees, helicopters and other equipment.
In a statement, Colonel David Butler, an Army spokesman, said that “it’s too early to say yet whether or not we’re having a parade but we’re working with the White House as well as several government agencies to make the celebration a national-level event”.
Mr Trump in his first term proposed having a grand military parade in the US after watching one in France on Bastille Day in 2017. He said after watching the two-hour procession along the famed Champs-Elysees that he wanted a grander one in Washington on Pennsylvania Avenue.
But the event never happened due to expected high costs, with one estimate of a $92 million price tag, and logistical hang-ups.
Bowser, speaking at a news conference on Monday, said she didn’t know if the event was being “characterised as a military parade” but said military tanks rolling through the city’s streets “would not be good”.
“If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads,” she said.
The parade plans were first reported by Washington City Paper on Sunday.
