The White House is denying reports that it plans to hold a military parade in Washington on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June — though local officials have been in contact with the administration about a celebration.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and Takis Karantonis, the chair of Virginia’s Arlington County Board, on Monday confirmed discussions with administration officials about plans for a military parade this summer.
A local newspaper, Washington City Paper, reported that the parade would be held on June 14, which happens to be the birthday of both the U.S. Army and Trump.
Bowser said the plans appeared to be calling for a “military” parade that would stretch from the Pentagon to the White House, and noted that the use of heavy equipment would likely cause millions in damage to Washington’s streets — a concern that emerged when Trump floated the idea in his first term.
But the administration says any concerns are premature.
“No military parade has been scheduled,” the White House said in an email response to questions from POLITICO.
Both Bowser and Karantonis said the parade plans appeared to be in the preliminary stages.
The mayor told reporters that administration officials had contacted Washington’s special events task force while Karantonis said in a statement that the Secret Service had reached out to the county to begin discussions of security for a parade.
Trump directed the Pentagon to explore staging a military parade in the nation’s capital in his first term, after witnessing Bastille Day celebrations in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2017.
“I don’t know. We’re gonna have to try and top it,” he said later, “but we had a lot of planes going over and a lot of military might, and it was really a beautiful thing to see.”
The reaction in Congress and around Washington was frosty. Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy criticized the plan, saying “insecurity is loud.” Also critical were prominent Democrats, including Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Army combat veteran, and Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, a West Point graduate who now serves as ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.
When Trump canceled the planned parade in August 2018, accusing city officials of price gouging, Bowser responded on Twitter, “Yup, I’m 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).”
Bowser is again warning about costs for a parade this June.
“Military tanks on our streets would not be good,” she said. “If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads.”
Karantonis urged the White House to balance the pomp of any public event against the uncertainty many families in Arlington County are dealing with as a result of broad cuts to the federal workforce instituted by the DOGE Initiative.
“At this time, it is not clear to me what the scope of the parade would be,” Karantonis said. “But I would hope the Federal Government remains sensitive to the pain and concerns of numerous active military and veteran residents, who have lost or might lose their jobs in recent federal decisions, as they reflect on how best to celebrate the Army’s anniversary.”