Military Parade Ordered by Trump, Postponed

US President Donald Trump has ordered a special military parade to be conducted by the end of this year, but it has to be postponed till 2019, because of the budget for the event has crossed over $90 million. The Commander in Chief was impressed by the parade during France’s Bastille Day last year, which he attended as a special guest and wanted such a parade in the US too.

From the beginning, though the idea was welcomed by many in the US, it has also drawn an equal number of criticism from some critics, according to whom the parade would be a complete waste of money and are like the events organized during authoritarian regimes. When for the first time in February, the White House announced the wish of the President to hold a military parade in Washington, the budget director then has estimated the cost for organizing such an event would be between $10 million and $30 million, but now the budget has gone as high as $92 million, and therefore finally, the program has been postponed.

In a statement released by Pentagon, Spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said, “The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to honor America's military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War I. We originally targeted November 10, 2018, for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019”.

In July 2017, US President Donald Trump visited France, where the French President, Emmanuel Macron, hosted him with great fanfare. During the Bastille Day Parade in France, the President was very much impressed to see, the republic guard on horseback and the stunts by jet fighters above the sky. It was after the event when US President Donald Trump expressed his desire to hold such a parade in the US too.

Initially, he expressed his desire to transform America's Independence Day celebrations, which falls on July 4th and is usually associated with fireworks and barbecues into a vast military parade. He then said, “To a large extent, because of what I witnessed we may do something like that on July Fourth in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue”. 

The media highlighted the issue of increasing costs on the proposed parade, which is even higher than the military expenses, including joint military exercises with friendly countries. Some critics also suggested that the money could be better be used in improving the lives of destitute military veterans. But at last, with budget soaring high the plan for the parade is now on hold.