The Trump administration is reportedly planning to house more than 7,000 soldiers in government office buildings for a parade next month on the National Mall that will celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary.
According to planning documents obtained by USA Today, tanks, warplanes, and other military equipment are set to feature in the June 14 parade, which is to take place on President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.
The total cost of the cortege is projected to be about$30 million, but the report indicated that figure could rise to around $45 million.
USA Today reported that the 7,500 soldiers and 120 military vehicles are expected to arrive in the nation's capital in the days leading up to the event, including 24 Abrams tanks and four Paladins — huge, self-propelled howitzer cannons.
Trump will reportedly observe the procession from a viewing stand on Constitution Avenue close to the White House. The parade will close with fireworks at dusk, according to the outlet.
An Army official who previously spoke with The Hill said the parade will stretch from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, to the White House, a length of nearly 4 miles.
Democrats and other critics of the president have objected to the cost of the parade and questioned whether it politicizes the Army, which historically has had no political affiliation. The fact that the parade coincides with Trump's birthday has further rankled Democrats in Congress, who see it as a way for him to monopolize the event.
"This is Trump. This is all about his ego and making everything about him," Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday. "The only thing he'd be disappointed about is that he couldn't fly his plane over the parade."
In an interview with "Meet the Press" earlier this month, Trump said the parade would celebrate Flag Day, which also falls on June 14, and "the greatest military in the world."
The cost of the event is "peanuts compared to the value of doing it," he said.
"We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world," Trump said. "We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it."
Trump is no stranger to patriotic displays. In 2019, he hosted a "Salute to America" on the Fourth of July, which featured flyovers and tanks on the National Mall.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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