President Donald Trump for years has lusted after a big military parade over which he could preside—just like he sees leaders do in other mostly authoritative countries.
During his first term in 2018, Trump wanted a grandiose military parade on the streets of D.C.
But Trump angrily and reluctantly canceled his plans after military leaders said it would cost $92 million and after District officials complained that heavy military equipment—tanks and planes included—would tear up the roadways and cost $21 million just for parade public safety.
Now, second-term Trump apparently won’t be denied.
According to a D.C. source with knowledge of the plan that’s still being developed, Trump has commandeered Saturday, June 14—the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and, as it happens, Trump’s 79th birthday—for his military parade. It would stretch almost four miles from the Pentagon in Arlington to the White House, according to the source, who stressed that local officials are just learning of it.
Arlington County Board Chair Takis Karantonis, who describes Arlington as a “9/11 city” that is proud of being home to the Pentagon, tells City Paper that no formal request for assistance has been made to the county. Karantonis says the county was given a “heads up” about the parade on Friday by the White House, but with no firm details.
“It’s not clear to me what the scope of a parade would be,” Karantonis says. “But I would hope the federal government remains sensitive to the pain and concerns of numerous [military] veteran residents who have lost or might lose their jobs in recent federal decisions, as they reflect on how best to celebrate the Army’s anniversary.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.
In 2018, Trump envisioned tanks, aircraft, and other military hardware rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue NW in a show of force to the world. The Associated Press reported Trump originally got the idea after watching a French military spectacle in 2017 and telling people then, “We’re going to have to try and top it.”
But his grand plan fell apart when military leaders openly worried about logistics for putting on such a big event, in addition to the estimated $92 million dollars in costs. Bowser also publicly questioned the parade, and Trump eventually canceled his plans.
“The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it,” he posted to Twitter. “When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up! I will instead …attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date…”
Bowser back then—unlike now—was publicly confrontational with Trump. She fired off her own tweet after that parade was canceled: “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).”
But neither Bowser nor military commanders appear ready to challenge Trump this time.
The president recently created a new federal task force to advise him and city officials on how to improve crime fighting in the District. Sources say the task force has its first meeting Monday. No local official is a member of the task force. Bowser, who says she’s maintaining a “strategic” posture toward Trump, is declining to criticize the president, who has threatened to take over the entire local government.
Bowser has stepped up removal of homeless encampments and graffiti in the wake of Trump’s complaints about seeing them in the District. Bowser also removed the Black Lives Matter memorial on 16th Street NW after critical inquiries from Trump’s transportation officials.
Trump has made sweeping changes to the nation’s military leadership, too.
In February, Trump fired four-star Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., a onetime fighter pilot who was only the second Black officer to hold the title of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Six other Pentagon officials were fired, including the first woman to lead the Navy, the vice chief of the Air Force, and the top lawyers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Given just 10 weeks to prepare the parade, several local officials cautioned that a big Armed Forces demonstration takes lots of coordination among the six branches of the U.S. military, in addition to a variety of local and regional officials and federal agencies.
Shutting down rights of way and bridges into the District, as well as any impact on Metro’s rail and bus lines are all taken into consideration, according to a D.C. official speaking on background. “We’d have to make sure everything is safe,” the official says.
While Trump was re-elected in November, the U.S. Army has been planning for more than a year to celebrate its 250th anniversary with a series of commemorations, community events, and other activities showcasing Army units and history.
