President Trump didn’t use military vehicles in his inaugural parade, but he wouldn’t have been the first president to do so if he had.
The Huffington Post published a story Wednesday morning showing that, contrary to the reported denials of an unnamed Trump aide, the Presidential Inaugural Committee inquired in December about using military vehicles for the Jan. 20 inauguration.
The article, which is a follow-up to a separate report published in January, is an interesting read, and it gives an entertaining peek at some of the behind-the-scenes work of Trump’s inauguration.
However, just like its original story, the Huffington Post article published this week omits all mentions of past inaugural parades that have included military vehicles and equipment.
This leaves readers with the distinct impression that the attempt by Trump’s team to secure military pomp for his inaugural parade was unprecedented.
The Huffington Post’s coverage even includes quotes from an anonymous source that complained tanks and missiles on the streets of Washington, D.C., would resemble the sort of military demonstrations that one sees in dictatorships like China and North Korea.
“They were legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade,” the source said in the Huffington Post’s Jan. 19 report, referring, of course, to Trump’s inaugural planning committee.
Here’s the thing: Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy each had military vehicles and equipment at their respective inaugurations in 1941, 1957 and 1961.
It’s true tanks and missiles appeared in those years under much different circumstances (Kennedy, for example, took office during the Cold War, while Eisenhower was a decorated military general prior to being elected). It’s also true that no president in very recent memory has paraded tanks through the heart of the nation’s capital.
Still it’s not unprecedented to have a military show of strength at an inaugural parade, contrary to what is suggested by the Huffington Post’s coverage.
The two articles don’t come out and say, “This has never happened before.” But they both fail to include relevant context about FDR’s, Eisenhower’s and JFK’s respective inaugurations. Readers are instead left with the idea that Trump’s request was out of the ordinary, which simply isn’t true. For this, the Huffington Post can be dinged.
Here are a few pictures of past inaugurations:
1. President Franklin D. Roosevelt:
“A procession of tanks in front of the Capitol building marking the inauguration of President Franklin D Roosevelt’s third term as President of the United States, at a parade in Washington DC, January 20th 1941.” (Getty Photo)
2. Dwight D. Eisenhower
“January 21, 1957. A guided missile passes by during Eisenhower’s second inaugural parade.” (Getty Photo)
“Tanks drive by in the parade celebrating the Presidential inauguration. President Dwight D. Eisenhower (center in front of left pillar) and Vice President Richard M. Nixon (center in front of right pillar) look on. All others unidentified. January 20, 1953.” (Truman library)
3. John F. Kennedy
“An Army Pershing missile mounted on a tank-like carrier catches the sunlight as the inaugural parade for President John F. Kennedy draws attention of spectators along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, Jan. 20, 1961. Other missiles, from front, are: Lacrosse, Nike Hercules and Nike Zeus. This view toward the Capitol was made from a stand at the Treasury Department.” (AP Photo)
“Inaugural Parade for President John F. Kennedy along Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. Armored United States Army vehicles pass the reviewing stand where President Kennedy; First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy; the President’s father Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Lady Bird Johnson, and others watch. Jan. 20, 1961.” (Kennedy Library)
The Huffington Post report published this week included a partly redacted email from a Pentagon official.
Trump’s team “is seriously considering adding military vehicles to the Inaugural Parade,” the unnamed official wrote in an email the Huffington Post obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. “The conversation started as ‘Can you send us some pictures of military vehicles we could add to the parade.'”
“I explained that such support would be out of guidelines, and the costs associated with bringing military vehicles to the [National Capital Region] would be considered reimbursable,” the email added.
The anonymous Pentagon official was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of Trump using military equipment for the inauguration
“I’m extremely reluctant to produce an improvised list of military vehicles that we might be held to,” the email read. “Also concerned that we as a command need an opportunity to staff this request and to make deliberate decisions about vehicle choice and configuration, paint scheme, uniform for crew members, etc. before we start providing pictures which might be regarded as binding.”
It’s unclear whether the aide who allegedly denied the inaugural committee had looked into getting military vehicles was aware that a colleague had approached a Pentagon official about the issue.
