'I want a parade': Trump is reportedly pushing the military for a grand parade in Washington DC
- President Donald Trump's desire to stage a military parade in Washington D.C. is reportedly under consideration.
- Trump is believed to have been inspired after attending France's Bastille Day parade in July.
President Donald Trump's desire to stage a military parade in Washington D.C. is being planned and may come to fruition, according to officials cited by The Washington Post and CNN on Tuesday.
Officials have said the event is in the "brainstorming" stages, according to The Post, and may be held this year around a patriotic holiday, such as Independence Day on July 4, or Veterans Day on November 11. A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed as much to CNN, saying potential dates were being considered.
Trump reportedly added that he wanted the parade route to stretch along Pennsylvania Avenue, the same route as his inaugural parade, The Post reported.
Trump floated the idea during a meeting with military officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford, where it was perceived as direct order, sources said to The Post.
"The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France," a military official familiar with the matter said in the report. "This is being worked at the highest levels of the military."
Trump's idea was reportedly triggered by a French military parade he attended in July, in honor of Bastille Day, according to The Post. Trump was met with a grand display of military vehicles and troops, to which he later noted to Macron that "it was one of the greatest parades I've ever seen."
"We're going to have to try to top it," Trump reportedly joked to Macron at the UN General Assembly in September.
A White House official added that the plan has "no meat on the bones" yet, but said that Trump "wants to do something that highlights the service and sacrifice of the military and have a unifying moment for the country."
The news on Tuesday comes as Congress continues to wrangle over a long-term federal budget and a looming government shutdown.
The cost of a military parade remains an open question. The US government would likely spend millions of dollars to transport combat vehicles and equipment to the nation's capitol. The Post notes that it is not yet clear how the government would pay for it.