- President Donald Trump canceled a big military parade through the nation's capital his fall after reports emerged that the event's cost had ballooned to $92 million.
- A new Economist/YouGov poll suggests that most Americans approved of the decision to cancel the parade.
- A majority of respondents - 75 percent - were either "not very disappointed" or "not disappointed at all."
A new poll suggests that Americans weren't particularly disappointed to find out that President Donald Trump had decided to cancel his big military parade - in fact, it seems that most people surveyed couldn't care less.
The president decided last week to cancel a military parade inspired by France's annual Bastille Day celebration in Paris and expected to be held in Washington, DC this November after CNBC broke the news that the parade would cost at least $92 million, $80 million more than initially estimated. The initial $12 million estimate was reportedly based on a review of expenses for the Gulf War parade held in the capital in 1991, ABC News introduced.
Trump said that the parade might be held next year if the costs can be brought down, further adding that the money for the parade could be spent on "some more fighter jets." The estimated cost of the military parade is roughly equivalent to the 2017 cost of an F-35 stealth fighter.
Thousands of military personnel and civilians, accompanied by vehicles and aircraft, were expected to participate in the parade.
News of the cancellation/possible postponement apparently didn't give many American the summertime blues. An Economist/YouGov poll, conducted August 19-21 and first reported by CQ Roll Call, revealed that 75 percent of respondents were either "not very disappointed" or "not disappointed at all." The latter category was the majority with 54 percent.
Among the respondents, 68 percent approved of the cancellation of the parade, which many observers have criticized for being unnecessary. While Republicans tended to favor the idea of having a big military parade in the capital, opposition was strong among Democrats.
The margin of error for the poll, which surveyed 1,500 American adults using an opt-in Internet panel with random sample matching, is said to be plus or minus three percentage points.