President Donald Trump has required from the Pentagon to organize a “celebration” for Americans to show their appreciation for the armed forces and U.S. military leaders have already begun planning the military parade at Trump’s request.
His idea comes after he witnessed the Bastille Day celebrations while on a trip to France last summer.
According to The Washington Post at a recent meeting between Trump and top military officials, Trump’s wishes were “suddenly heard as a presidential directive.”
“The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” one military official told the Post on the condition of anonymity. “This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.”
A White House official told the Post that the planning was still in the “brainstorming” stages and that there is “no meat on the bones” as of yet.
“President Trump is incredibly supportive of America’s great service members who risk their lives every day to keep our country safe. He has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary said Tuesday night.
“We are aware of the request and are in the process of determining specific details. We will share more information throughout the planning process,” a spokesperson for the Department of Defense said.
The Hill reported that White House chief of staff John Kelly is involved in the planning of the parade and that Pentagon officials are pushing for the parade to be tied to Veterans Day, rather than Independence Day or Memorial Day because it would appear to be less tied to Trump.
However, Pentagon officials are still trying to solve the problem of funding the parade, which could cost millions of dollars.
Sources told The Hill that Trump also wanted to include tanks and missile launchers in his Inauguration Day parade. An inauguration team source said at the time that the team was “legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade.”
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