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)
Trump Rant About Canceled Military Parade Panned as Product From 'Diseased Mind of a Shrieking Dimwit'
Chorus of ridicule follows president's bizarre excuses and declaration that funds will now be used to "buy some more fighter jets!"
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.
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.
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.
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:
In fact, several noted, the $92 million the parade would have cost would not even buy a single fighter jet.
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.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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.
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.
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.
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:
In fact, several noted, the $92 million the parade would have cost would not even buy a single fighter jet.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
In fact, several noted, the $92 million the parade would have cost would not even buy a single fighter jet.
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.