Speaking today with French President Emmanuel Macron and other high-ranking officials, President Trump revealed that he thought the military parade in Paris was “tremendous.” He added that he thinks the parade was good for the “spirit of France,” and wants to do the same thing in Washington D.C. on the Fourth of July.
President Trump has been keen for some time to establish more gaudy public displays of American military might, having pushed for military vehicles to participate in his inauguration. Now, he says he wants the US military to “come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue” and suggested there would be major shows in both DC and New York City.
France’s parade was something special, as it was the 100th Bastille Day. President Trump said he intends to speak with White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, and that his goal would be to “try to top” France with America’s own parades.
Despite spending more on their military than anyone else in the world, the US has rarely indulged in high-profile public military parades, instead favoring civilian parades with limited military participation. Indeed, historically the US has scorned the large military parades in nations like North Korea as signs of a childish nation obsessed with its own sense of military might.
It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that President Trump would be so keen on organizing such parades, as he’s seen both fascinated by America’s military might and eager to prove America’s greatness in the least-subtle ways possible.
Prez understands little about the military, even less about Independence Day.
Smart Imperialists keep a low profile on the day celebrating their defeat.
spammer go away…
And I remember when they made fun of the French military.
If the English Channel did not separate England from the mainland, Hitler would have made mincemeat of the Tommies, too.
Probably so but he might have had fewer soldiers available for his Russian adventure.
Couldn’twe have a non violent parade featuring the true heroes of the day? Doctors,nurses,caregivers,firefighters,etc?
“…childish nation obsessed with its own sense of military might.”
This IS the direction we seem to be heading – we’re already well into the “hero-worship” of anything that wears a uniform, even if they just fix jeeps or make coffee for the Generals or giving discounts to military members so they can buy new cars. Nearly everyone is a “hero” nowadays. Kind of lessens what a real hero is.
And Trump’s reason for holding a massive military spectacle is to “try to top” France? Really? Get the man a pacifier.
BTW, has anyone bothered to tell him how much something of this magnitude is going to cost? Is HE willing to pay for it out of his own pocket? Right…I don’t think so.
I have people thanking me for my military service even though I’ve been out of the army for 41 years. And while in, I didn’t do a damn thing to be thanked for. The propaganda machine went into full gear after Vietnam to make sure the troops were above criticism in order to conduct continuous war. Good job, unfortunately.
I also have been thanked for my service (long ago also). I always ask if they know what I did and they naturally say “no.” IMO, I think this swing to the over-the-top hero worship is to assuage their own lack of service and the associated guilt. And since those serving are approximately .7% of the population, there is a lot of guilt to assuage. And yes, there are some who didn’t serve and are not bothered by guilt.
Did Donald Trump serve in the military? Did he fight in Vietnam? Hell, no. Like Bill Clinton, the Donald used college deferments to keep him out of serving. The US has been a Constitutional Republic since the late 1780’s. It’s only been in the latter 20th Century that it changed into an Oligarchy, which it is today.
I thought Barack Obama was a narcissist with a huge ego, but it seems Trump’s outdone him in the narcissistic ego arena. A massive military spectacle? He’s imitating not only Josef Stalin and Mao Tse-Dong, he’s imitating the very same man he wants to destroy: Kim Jong-un. Has anyone seen Li’l Kim’s massive military parades on TV or on YouTube? It’s hard for me to believe Trump really wants to imitate Fat Boy’s massive military spectacle .. And, yes, that’s want Trump wants.
Practice your goose steps
Hubris is again on the march.
President Preschooler wants to play with his toy soldiers.