Trump is not trying to put on a parade to celebrate the US Army's 250th birthday. He's not going to honor people he sees as suckers and losers,
Trump is not a guy who pays homage to anybody but himself.
And there's a fair probability that while he's plenty happy that his birthday happens to be on the same day (June 14), that's not really the point either.
There are IMO two basic reasons.
- Equating himself with both the US military, and the country as a whole (Jun 14 is also Flag Day)
- Getting people used to seeing tanks and armed soldiers on American streets
Trump intended to host one during his first term but backed off amid pushback from the Army and D.C. officials.
Plans are in motion for a massive event on the National Mall in June to celebrate the Army’s 250th anniversary with live music, fireworks, parachuters landing on the Ellipse — and perhaps the military parade President Donald Trump has been dreaming about for years.
The proposed parade would “consist of a history of the US Army, including some army equipment” and would start at the Pentagon, cross the Arlington Memorial Bridge into D.C., and continue on Constitution Avenue NW between 23rd and 15th streets, according to a permit application submitted to the National Park Service on March 31 by America250.org, a nonprofit founded to support the federal government’s multiyear celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Turning the June event into a military parade “has been discussed,” a senior White House official said, but the official said many ideas are discussed inside the White House without being acted on. “It means they could happen, but it doesn’t mean they will,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly about internal discussions.
Army spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said Monday that a celebration for the 250th anniversary had been in the works for months, though no official decision had been made on a parade. America250.org did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The news of a potential military parade in D.C. — initially reported by Washington City Paper over the weekend — comes after Trump intended to host one during his first term but backed off amid pushback from the Army and D.C. officials over exorbitant costs and the damage tanks might cause to city roads.
D.C. and Virginia officials had few details to share, though some said they had been contacted by federal officials about a potential event.
Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis (D) said in a statement that the county was contacted by the Secret Service on Friday about a possible military parade to celebrate the Army’s 250th anniversary. The Secret Service offered no further details, and the county police and fire departments had not received a formal request for assistance with a military parade, he added.
In D.C. on Monday, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said at an unrelated news conference that federal officials had reached out to the D.C. government about some kind of event, but that it was in early stages and she was not yet directly involved in plans. She could not confirm whether a military parade was officially in the works, she said.
Tanks or no tanks, the city can prepare for some kind of massive birthday bash for the Army on June 14, the anniversary of the Continental Congress’s vote to officially create the force, according to Butler. (That date also happens to be Trump’s birthday.)
“We’ll have free-fall parachutists there,” he said. “They’re going to jump out of planes and land on the Mall.”
In addition to a parade and a demonstration from the U.S. Army’s “Golden Knights” parachute team, the proposed celebration would include a flyover (the types of aircraft are still undetermined), a concert (probably country music) and fireworks, the event application states.
The idea of a military parade has in the past inflamed tensions between Bowser and Trump.
During his first term, Trump — inspired by a parade he saw in France — had proposed a military parade complete with tanks rolling through D.C. streets and fighter jets flying through the skies. After pushback from the military and D.C. officials over cost and logistics, he canceled it and blamed D.C.’s “local politicians” for inflating security cost estimates.
Bowser had mocked him afterward in a viral tweet, writing, “Yup, I’m Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad).”
This second Trump term, Bowser has been taking a much different stance toward the president, seeking common ground. Still, she said Monday that her concerns about military tanks on city roads still apply.
“Military tanks on our streets would not be good,” she said. “If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads.”
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