It looks like this is really going to happen:
Detailed Army plans for a potential military parade on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June call for more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and possibly a couple thousand civilians, The Associated Press has learned.
The planning documents, obtained by the AP, are dated April 29 and 30 and have not been publicly released. They represent the Army’s most recent blueprint for its long-planned 250th anniversary festival on the National Mall and the newly added element — a large military parade that Trump has long wanted but is still being discussed.
The Army anniversary just happens to coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday on June 14.
While the slides do not include any price estimates, it would likely cost tens of millions of dollars to put on a parade of that size. Costs would include the movement of military vehicles, equipment, aircraft and troops from across the country to Washington and the need to feed and house thousands of service members.
High costs halted Trump’s push for a parade in his first term, and the tanks and other heavy vehicles that are part of the Army’s latest plans have raised concerns from city officials about damage to roads.Asked about plans for a parade, Army spokesman Steve Warren said Thursday that no final decisions have been made.
Col. Dave Butler, another Army spokesman, added that the Army is excited about the plans for its anniversary. “We want to make it into an event that the entire nation can celebrate with us,” said Butler. “We want Americans to know their Army and their soldiers. A parade might become part of that, and we think that will be an excellent addition to what we already have planned.”
Here’s what Trump said about that this morning:
KRISTEN WELKER:
And there are reports that you’re looking into the possibility of a military —
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Yeah —
KRISTEN WELKER:
— parade.
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Not for my birthday.
KRISTEN WELKER:
When can you tell — when would it be? What can you tell me?
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Well, my birthday happens to be on Flag Day. So —
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, there you go —
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
– I think they’re talking about Flag Day. But I view it for Flag Day, not necessarily my birthday. Somebody put it together. But no, I think we’re going to do something on June 14th maybe or somewhere around there. But I think June 14th, it’s a very important day. It’s Flag Day, plus we’re going to have different days. You know, if you look at Russia, they celebrate Victory Day.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Yeah.
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
If you look at France, I was talking to Prime Minister Macron and he says, “Yes, there’s Victory Day, Victory Day.” And I say, “Victory Day for what?” “World War II.” I said, “Well, we had more to do with winning World War II than any other nation. Why don’t we have a Victory Day?” So we’re going to have a Victory Day for World War I and for World War II.
KRISTEN WELKER:
And will it be a military parade? What can people expect?
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
And you have breaking news because nobody knows this. We’re going to have Victory Day for World War I and for World War II. Well, it’s going to start off by saying, “It’s Victory Day,” because, you know, when other nations, some of which weren’t even very successful in the war, they have Victory Days and the United States doesn’t. And we’re the one that won those wars with the help of others, with the help of others. But we’re going to have a Victory Day for I and II.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But one day, right? Both on one day?
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Maybe not because —
KRISTEN WELKER:
Oh, really? More than one day?
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Well, they took place on very different days, you know. They’re about six months apart. So I think you can have two days. This doesn’t mean we’re going to go and not work and have a national holiday and all of that because we don’t have many of those days left. You know, eventually our country will become all national holidays. But we’re going to acknowledge by having days for World War I victory and World War II victory —
Ok. Time Out. He thinks that “Victory Day” in Europe, May 8th, marks the end of WWI and he wants the U.S. to celebrate it too because we allegedly made the greatest sacrifice and won the war. (Not true.) The problem is that the war wasn’t over for the United States on May 8th. That was VE day. VJ day didn’t come until August when the japanese surrendered but he’s too stupid to know that. In fact, the official VJ day wasn’t until September 2nd when the formal surrender was signed on the U.S. Missouri. Trump’s quite a bit older than I am and he should know this. People my age learned about this stuff in the cradle.
As for the other Victory Day for WWI, we already celebrate it as Veteran’s Day a national holiday which was originally called Armistice Day and was later changed at the behest of veterans who thought it should be for all of those who served.
Moron.
(And by the way, Welker clearly doesn’t understand that he’s actually talking about 3 parades. The two new “Victory” parades and the one for his birthday.)
Anyway. It actually gets worse:
KRISTEN WELKER:
And just paint a picture for me. What will those parades look like? Will it be military parades?
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
You mean, like, on Flag Day?
KRISTEN WELKER:
Yes.
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
We’re going to have a big, beautiful parade.
KRISTEN WELKER:
A military parade?
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Yeah, sure.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Okay.
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
We’re going to celebrate our military. We have the greatest military in the world —
KRISTEN WELKER:
What’s the price tag? Do you know?
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
Peanuts compared to the value of doing it. 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. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it.
Peanuts. He’s cutting cancer research, head start, medicaid, and the nuclear safety commission but this is valuable.
He is Kim Jong Un’s slow-witted older brother.