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US President Donald Trump has asked the military to organize a giant parade to display the strength of America's armed forces, the White House said Tuesday.
Top military officers are said to be looking for a date to accommodate the request.
"President Trump is incredibly supportive of America's great service members who risk their lives every day to keep our country safe," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.
"He has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation."
The Pentagon confirmed it was "in the process of determining specific details."
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, US first lady Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, French first lady Brigitte Macron, French Senate President Gerard Larcher, French National Assembly President Francois de Rugy, French ecology minister Nicolas Hulot, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo watch the annual Bastille Day military parade along Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 14, 2017.
Trump's new request, first reported by The Washington Post, immediately fueled comparisons to similar events in more autocratic countries.
"What an absurd waste of money! Trump acts more like dictator than president. Americans deserve better," said Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern.
The idea has had a long gestation period. When Trump visited Paris last July for Bastille Day, he made no secret of his awe for the pomp and ceremony of the occasion.
US military troops during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2017.
Sitting on the Champs-Elysees, the American president marveled at the Republican Guard on horseback and jets flying overhead, and greeted President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in an open-topped camouflaged military jeep.
Months after that meeting, Trump publicly remarked: "So we're actually thinking about Fourth of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military strength."
(AFP)
