President Donald Trump expressed his desire for a military parade in the U.S. after attending France's annual event on Bastile Day last year with French President Emmanuel Macron. (Photo: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff/Flickr/cc)
Aug 17, 2018
After postponing his coveted military parade--an event which 75 percent of respondents in a poll earlier this year said was not a good use of government funds--President Donald Trump shared with his Twitter followers on Friday that he'll find another use for the money that would have paid for the parade: adding to the military's already-massive collection of weapons.
"Now we can buy some more jet fighters!" Trump declared.
\u201cThe local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it. When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up! I will instead...\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507076
\u201c....attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, & go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th. Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507805
On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that the parade would not move forward this year, after estimates for the events cost jumped more than 600 percent from previous proposals. Officials told the Associated Press that the parade was expected to cost $92 million, up from the initial estimate of $12 million.
Trump quickly blamed the local government in Washington, D.C. for estimating the exorbitant cost--an accusation Mayor Muriel Bowser readily accepted.
\u201cYup, I\u2019m Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad).\u201d— Muriel Bowser (@Muriel Bowser) 1534510357
\u201cthis is obviously an untruth belched from the diseased mind of a shrieking dimwit, but man if it doesn't make the DC government look good https://t.co/2aXe1nE5hf\u201d— Simon Maloy (@Simon Maloy) 1534512476
Other critics derided Trump's plan to travel to Paris in order to see France's military parade once again, now that his own plans had fallen through.
\u201cOur wannabe dictator is going to Paris to get his parade fix.\u201d— Jeff (@Jeff) 1534510395
Others condemned the president's knee-jerk push for "more jet fighters" by pointing out much more worthwhile and pressing needs those funds could be used for:
\u201c"Now we can buy some more jet fighters." \nI call upon those who routinely cite their support for veterans to *immediately* put forward a spending bill that directs the $92 million saved on the parade to prevent veterans' homelessness.\n\ud83d\udc40 @CongressmanHice \nhttps://t.co/dCBBvRdHNZ\u201d— Chalis Montgomery (@Chalis Montgomery) 1534510948
\u201cOr here's a crazy idea -- feed and house our homeless veterans\u201d— Will Bunch (@Will Bunch) 1534509976
\u201c@realDonaldTrump No need for 'some more jet fighters' ! Take the money and do your damn job ! Help #Flint, #PuertoRico and support the #Veterans !\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507805
In fact, several noted, the $92 million the parade would have cost would not even buy a single fighter jet.
\u201cHow many jet fighter does he think he can get for $92 million?\u201d— S.V. D\u00e1te (@S.V. D\u00e1te) 1534508505
It could, however, pay for clean water in Flint, Michigan, where water pipes are not scheduled to be replaced until 2020--with tens of millions of dollars left over.
\u201cTrump\u2019s military parade: $92 million.\n\nClean water in Flint: $55 million.\u201d— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel Jollett) 1534463617
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After postponing his coveted military parade--an event which 75 percent of respondents in a poll earlier this year said was not a good use of government funds--President Donald Trump shared with his Twitter followers on Friday that he'll find another use for the money that would have paid for the parade: adding to the military's already-massive collection of weapons.
"Now we can buy some more jet fighters!" Trump declared.
\u201cThe local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it. When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up! I will instead...\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507076
\u201c....attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, & go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th. Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507805
On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that the parade would not move forward this year, after estimates for the events cost jumped more than 600 percent from previous proposals. Officials told the Associated Press that the parade was expected to cost $92 million, up from the initial estimate of $12 million.
Trump quickly blamed the local government in Washington, D.C. for estimating the exorbitant cost--an accusation Mayor Muriel Bowser readily accepted.
\u201cYup, I\u2019m Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad).\u201d— Muriel Bowser (@Muriel Bowser) 1534510357
\u201cthis is obviously an untruth belched from the diseased mind of a shrieking dimwit, but man if it doesn't make the DC government look good https://t.co/2aXe1nE5hf\u201d— Simon Maloy (@Simon Maloy) 1534512476
Other critics derided Trump's plan to travel to Paris in order to see France's military parade once again, now that his own plans had fallen through.
\u201cOur wannabe dictator is going to Paris to get his parade fix.\u201d— Jeff (@Jeff) 1534510395
Others condemned the president's knee-jerk push for "more jet fighters" by pointing out much more worthwhile and pressing needs those funds could be used for:
\u201c"Now we can buy some more jet fighters." \nI call upon those who routinely cite their support for veterans to *immediately* put forward a spending bill that directs the $92 million saved on the parade to prevent veterans' homelessness.\n\ud83d\udc40 @CongressmanHice \nhttps://t.co/dCBBvRdHNZ\u201d— Chalis Montgomery (@Chalis Montgomery) 1534510948
\u201cOr here's a crazy idea -- feed and house our homeless veterans\u201d— Will Bunch (@Will Bunch) 1534509976
\u201c@realDonaldTrump No need for 'some more jet fighters' ! Take the money and do your damn job ! Help #Flint, #PuertoRico and support the #Veterans !\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507805
In fact, several noted, the $92 million the parade would have cost would not even buy a single fighter jet.
\u201cHow many jet fighter does he think he can get for $92 million?\u201d— S.V. D\u00e1te (@S.V. D\u00e1te) 1534508505
It could, however, pay for clean water in Flint, Michigan, where water pipes are not scheduled to be replaced until 2020--with tens of millions of dollars left over.
\u201cTrump\u2019s military parade: $92 million.\n\nClean water in Flint: $55 million.\u201d— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel Jollett) 1534463617
After postponing his coveted military parade--an event which 75 percent of respondents in a poll earlier this year said was not a good use of government funds--President Donald Trump shared with his Twitter followers on Friday that he'll find another use for the money that would have paid for the parade: adding to the military's already-massive collection of weapons.
"Now we can buy some more jet fighters!" Trump declared.
\u201cThe local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it. When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up! I will instead...\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507076
\u201c....attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, & go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th. Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507805
On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that the parade would not move forward this year, after estimates for the events cost jumped more than 600 percent from previous proposals. Officials told the Associated Press that the parade was expected to cost $92 million, up from the initial estimate of $12 million.
Trump quickly blamed the local government in Washington, D.C. for estimating the exorbitant cost--an accusation Mayor Muriel Bowser readily accepted.
\u201cYup, I\u2019m Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad).\u201d— Muriel Bowser (@Muriel Bowser) 1534510357
\u201cthis is obviously an untruth belched from the diseased mind of a shrieking dimwit, but man if it doesn't make the DC government look good https://t.co/2aXe1nE5hf\u201d— Simon Maloy (@Simon Maloy) 1534512476
Other critics derided Trump's plan to travel to Paris in order to see France's military parade once again, now that his own plans had fallen through.
\u201cOur wannabe dictator is going to Paris to get his parade fix.\u201d— Jeff (@Jeff) 1534510395
Others condemned the president's knee-jerk push for "more jet fighters" by pointing out much more worthwhile and pressing needs those funds could be used for:
\u201c"Now we can buy some more jet fighters." \nI call upon those who routinely cite their support for veterans to *immediately* put forward a spending bill that directs the $92 million saved on the parade to prevent veterans' homelessness.\n\ud83d\udc40 @CongressmanHice \nhttps://t.co/dCBBvRdHNZ\u201d— Chalis Montgomery (@Chalis Montgomery) 1534510948
\u201cOr here's a crazy idea -- feed and house our homeless veterans\u201d— Will Bunch (@Will Bunch) 1534509976
\u201c@realDonaldTrump No need for 'some more jet fighters' ! Take the money and do your damn job ! Help #Flint, #PuertoRico and support the #Veterans !\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1534507805
In fact, several noted, the $92 million the parade would have cost would not even buy a single fighter jet.
\u201cHow many jet fighter does he think he can get for $92 million?\u201d— S.V. D\u00e1te (@S.V. D\u00e1te) 1534508505
It could, however, pay for clean water in Flint, Michigan, where water pipes are not scheduled to be replaced until 2020--with tens of millions of dollars left over.
\u201cTrump\u2019s military parade: $92 million.\n\nClean water in Flint: $55 million.\u201d— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel Jollett) 1534463617
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