Trump planning military parade through DC for 79th birthday

The Trump administration is planning a June 14 military parade through the streets of Washington, D.C., to mark the president's 79th birthday.

It will also mark the Army’s 250th anniversary. A senior administration official confirmed the plans to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network.

Washington City Paper first reported on the parade, noting it will stretch almost 4 miles from the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., to the White House.

An Army official confirmed the parade’s length to The Hill, and said that “there are plans for a parade that will involve the Army,” adding that nothing is yet solidified.

The official noted that the Army had planned to celebrate its 250th anniversary with a “robust capability increase in what you would see in previous years.” Planning began last year and the event has since expanded, with the number of units participating now increased.

The official also said Washington’s local government has been involved in the planning, with engineers in both the Army and city doing “route reconnaissance.”

"The Army is very excited to celebrate its 250th anniversary with the entire county. Our intention is for Americans to be proud of their Army and also proud of their nation. It’s too early to say yet whether or not we’re having a parade but we’re working with the White House as well as several government agencies to make the celebration a national level event,” Army spokesperson Col. Dave Butler told The Hill.

President Trump in his first term in 2018 ordered the Pentagon to plan a large military parade after he visited Paris and was inspired by a French Bastille Day event.

“We’re going to have to try to top it,” he reportedly told French President Emmanuel Macron.

But that event, set for Nov. 10, was canceled after defense officials quoted the price tag at $92 million and were slow to plan it, citing more pressing issues. The event also was heavily criticized both publicly and in private within the administration.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) at the time called the military parade plans a “fantastic waste of money to amuse the president.”

And Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a staunch Trump backer, warned against treating the parade as a “Soviet-style” display of military might.

Washington officials also complained that heavy military equipment such as tanks would damage the city’s roads and cost the city millions of dollars for public safety.

The Defense Department could use its training budget to pay for flyovers and use vehicles from nearby bases, but the event would also require outside costs such as pay for Secret Service and police, and the renting and construction of stands and barriers.

The timeline for planning is also tight, given that June 14, Trump's birthday, is less than 10 weeks away. 

Updated at 3:07 p.m. EDT