Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Republican Senator Perfectly Explains Why Trump's Plan for a Military Parade Is Such a Bad Idea

Republican Senator Perfectly Explains Why Trump's Plan for a Military Parade Is Such a Bad Idea
Representative John Kennedy speaks to reporters on February 7, 2018. (MSNBC via Twitter)

Exactly.

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) said he opposed President Donald Trump's proposed military parade during an interview with MSNBC. Kennedy joins a growing chorus of lawmakers who've issued bipartisan rebukes of the president's proposal, which he reportedly suggested to officials after witnessing Bastille Day celebrations in France. The White House and the Pentagon have confirmed the president directed officials to plan such a parade.

“I think confidence is silent and insecurity is loud,” Kennedy told reporters. “America is the most powerful country in all of human history; you don’t need to show it off.”


Kennedy, much like others opposed to the idea, warned that such a spectacle would make the United States look "totalitarian," and compared it to similar processions held in Russia and North Korea.

“We’re not North Korea, we’re not Russia and we're not China, and I don’t want to be,” Kennedy said. “And for that reason I would be against flaunting our strength. We don’t need to; everybody knows we have it."

Other Congressional Republicans have also weighed in, most notably Senator Lindsey Graham (S.C.) who said that while he didn't mind the idea of a military parade, he wouldn't endorse the president's approach. "I don't mind having a parade honoring the service and sacrifice of our military members," Graham told CNN. "I'm not looking for a Soviet-style hardware display. That's not who we are, it's kind of cheesy and I think it shows weakness, quite frankly."

Former Representative Joe Walsh (R-IL), now a conservative radio talk show host, condemned the idea in a statement on Twitter.  "Obama wasn't a King," he wrote. "Trump isn't a King either."

Nor is Trump's proposal popular with veterans, notes Paul Rieckhoff, the CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which hosts the largest group of post-September 11 veterans. "This is definitely not a popular idea," Rieckhoff said. "It's overwhelmingly unpopular. Folks from all political backgrounds don't think it is a good use of resources. We are very aware of anything that politicizes the military."

Democrats have signaled that they will not support the president's endeavor, with Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, issuing the most pointed statement:

A military parade of this kind would also be a departure from the values of our constitutional democracy. We are a nation of laws, not of one person. In the past, we have held military parades to celebrate major national events such as the Gulf War or the end of World War II, as achievements by the American people who fought in and supported those efforts. A military parade like this — one that is unduly focused on a single person — is what authoritarian regimes do, not democracies.

Typically, such large-scale events like the one Trump proposes do not see displays of military equipment as seen in Bastille Day celebrations. Organizers would likely need to transport tanks and other armored vehicles to the nation's capital from states including Texas and Georgia that are home to the U.S. Army's armored units. According to a former Defense Department official who spoke to Second Nexus ahead of this article's publication, all personnel and equipment movement, including housing, meal costs, and any damage to D.C. streets is required by federal fiscal law to come from the Defense Department budget per the department's honor guard/public appearance budget. Since the president's proposal utilizes appropriated funds without an act of Congress, the proposed parade "cannot be funded by any other means."

"The Pentagon can shift money in their own budget, but they can't get any additional funds from sources outside the Department of Defense," the former official said. "Congress would have to do an emergency spending authority to cover the estimated $22 million cost or the Department of Defense has to shuffle their existing funds to pay for it. No other options are legal."

More from People/donald-trump

Nathan Lane
Phillip Faraone/WireImage

Nathan Lane Reveals Frustrating Reason 'Space Jam' Director Rejected Him For Role

Actor Nathan Lane, on publicity tour for a new TV series, discussed old films and old chances in an interview with Vanity Fair recently.

The actor—a Tony, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, and Laurence Olivier award winner—talked about how all the awards in the world did not land him a role in the iconic movie Space Jam back in 1997.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
CNN

Trump Instantly Roasted After Announcing Awkward Name Of New Military Fighter Jet

Republican President Donald Trump proudly announced the new name honoring him for the military's new fighter jet, and the set-up for a joke couldn't have been more perfect.

“The generals picked the title," claimed the 47th President, adding, "and it’s a beautiful number, F-47.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Viral Post Explains Why It's So Alarming That GOP Is Using Signal App For Top Secret Chats

Amid revelations that Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials, particularly Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen, Threads user jeanie.online went viral after stressing why Trump administration officials are really using the app to discuss secret matters.

It's worth noting that Signal messages can be set and managed to disappear, as the team behind the app acknowledges on the Signal website:

Keep ReadingShow less
Brian Kilmeade
Fox News

Fox News Host Sparks Outrage With Disturbing Stance On Immigrant Deportations

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade enraged social media users after he said that undocumented immigrants "don't deserve" due process before getting deported.

On Monday's broadcast of the right-wing cable news channel Fox & Friends, Kilmeade stated that he didn't think it was "practical to do due process on 8 million people."

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Janet Mills
Win McNamee/Getty Images (left and right)

Trump Dragged After Demanding 'Full-Throated Apology' From Maine's Governor

President Donald Trump was called out after reviving his feud with Maine Governor Janet Mills, demanding a "full-throated apology" after she pushed back last month against his executive order banning transgender women and girls from competing in female sports.

Last month, while discussing the order he'd signed on the issue, Trump threatened Mills after she said she would only comply with "state and federal laws," saying he'd deny federal funding for her state:

Keep ReadingShow less