This Saturday the nation’s capital is set to see a lavish military parade to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, and the 79th birthday of Donald Trump.
However, sadly for the president, the majority of his Republican friends in Congress will not be at the party.
Only seven out of 50 GOP lawmakers, when asked by Politico, said they would be in attendance, with others choosing to leave Washington, D.C., and return home for the weekend.
“President Trump looks forward to a historic crowd at the Army Birthday Parade, where he will be joined by top military leaders, administration officials, congressional representatives, and most importantly, thousands of patriotic Americans to celebrate 250 years of honor, courage, and sacrifice by our United States military,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement shared with The Independent.
The Independent understands that senior military leaders and at least 15 Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, are due to attend.
However, other top military officials in Congress, have reportedly chosen a different extravagant military gathering to attend – the 2025 International Paris Air Show.
His closest MAGA allies, such as Byron Donalds, Elise Stefanik and Marjorie Taylor Greene, have confirmed their attendance. “Yes, of course,” Greene told Politico on Tuesday. “I’m going to be there for the 250th anniversary of the Army.”
The parade is set to feature around 6,600 Army troops and military equipment such as a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, as well as 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles, and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles.
There will also be 18 miles of fencing and 175 metal detectors installed, according to The Associated Press. The Army expects up to 200,000 people could attend and says the parade will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million.
Such expense has led Republicans to question the cost and optics of the spectacle, including Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker and Republican Rand Paul. Some have even drawn parallels to the military pageantry of North Korea.
Republican Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin fiscal hawk, told Politico recently, “If it costs money, I won’t go.”
But Trump said the cost of the event is “peanuts compared to the value of doing it,” in a May 4 interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press.
“We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it,” he said.
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