President Donald Trump said he has asked the Pentagon to stage a military parade in the nation’s capital on Veterans Day.
Trump was interviewed live via telephone by Jeanine Pirro, host of Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News, Saturday night. They discussed the recent mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida, as well as other issues, including a proposed military parade.
He told Pirro that the parade would be held “probably Veteran’s Day,” which is celebrated Nov. 11, “but I like July 4th.” He said it would be “up and down” Pennsylvania Avenue, the street in Washington that runs from the White House to the U.S. Capitol.
“We’ll see if we can do it at a reasonable cost,” Trump said. “If we can’t, we don’t do it.”
He said the parade would include “a lot of flyovers” of Air Force planes.
The Veterans Day holiday this year coincides with the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War I.
The military reportedly favors the November date to divorce the aura of the parade and its symbolism of U.S. military strength as much as possible from the contentious U.S. political scene, since the parade would then fall days after congressional elections, set for Nov. 6.
The inspiration to hold a military parade began after Trump watched Bastille Day events in Paris last July 14, when he and first lady Melania Trump were the guests of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
White House correspondent Steve Herman contributed to this story.
