WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trumps lofty vision of big tanks, vintage aircraft and modern fighter jets swooping through the streets of Washington in a show of patriotic force crumbled Friday under the weight of logistics, including a $92 million estimated price tag.
Will it be cheaper next year, as Trump contends? Were government budget crunchers smoking something like the Pentagon chief suggested? Are corrupt local officials to blame as Trump alleged?
A look at how Trumps big idea turned into a big nothing:
MY PARADE IS BIGGER THAN YOUR PARADE
Trump got the idea of a military parade during a trip to France in July of last year. At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump watched enthusiastically from a reviewing stand as the French military showcased its tanks and fighter jets, including many U.S.-made planes, along the famed Champs-Elysees.
Washington already has quite a few parades, including some with military participation held on Memorial Day and July 4. There was even a 1991 victory parade following the Gulf War complete with 8,000 marching troops, an F-117 Stealth Fighter, some tanks and a Patriot Missile Launcher.
But even that grand display of military hardware from the Gulf War didnt seem to be what Trump had in mind. He noted that France had represented uniforms and equipment from different wars and that the Bastille Day parade lasted a full two hours. Trump said he envisioned a similar military extravaganza next July 4 down Washingtons famed Pennsylvania Avenue, which connects the White House to Capitol Hill.
Compared to Frances parade, were going to have to try and top it, he said.
TANKS WERE THE FIRST TO GO
By the following February, Trump ordered the Pentagon to start planning. Critics compared the idea to the kind of muscular military parades common in authoritarian countries like China and North Korea.
Thats just not our style … You know how powerful you are, you dont have to pretend, said retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden on CNN on Friday, reiterating a common complaint from ex-military officials since Trump first floated the idea.
By the time planning was underway at the Pentagon, one thing became clear: the tanks had to go.
Old U.S. Army tanks can weigh more than 60 tons. In the 1991 parade, the military put rubber covers on the tank treads but there were still reports of tread marks and damage done to city streets. There also was the cost involved with shipping the mammoth vehicles.
The Pentagon declared in a planning memo: Wheeled vehicles only, no tanks consideration must be given to minimize damage to local infrastructure.
THE PRICE INCREASED, THE DATE SLIPPED
