The Department of Defense said on Friday that planning has gotten underway for a military parade in the nation’s capital, ordered by President Trump after he was invited to a 2017 Bastille Day celebration by French President Emmanuel Macron, but the event is yet to be assigned a budget, according to a report.
A Pentagon official told NBC News the lack of urgency could be attributed to widespread reticence regarding the parade.
“There is only one person who wants this parade,” a senior U.S. official told NBC, referring to Trump.
DoD sent the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a memo in March detailing its outline for the parade, scheduled to take place on Nov. 11 for Veterans Day but moved up to Nov. 10. The event is expected to highlight the service of veterans from the Revolutionary War to present day, emphasizing “the price of freedom.”
The parade could cost $10 million to $30 million, per White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney in February.
The parade was first conceived following Trump’s attendance of a Bastille Day event in Paris. The president was impressed by the display with French troops, who marched through the streets along with military tanks and other vehicles.
“I think it’s great for spirit. The military loves it. They love the idea,” Trump told Fox News in February.
