The price tag for President Trump’s military parade this fall keeps going up, with the latest projection saying it will cost $92 million — up…
The price tag for President Trump’s military parade this fall keeps going up, with the latest projection saying it will cost $92 million — up $80 million over the initial estimate.
That figure includes $50 million from the Pentagon and $42 million from interagency partners such as the Department of Homeland Security, CNBC reported Thursday, citing a Defense Department official.
The initial estimate for the planned extravaganza in Washington, DC, last month put the cost for the parade at $12 million.
A Pentagon spokesman said in an email to CNBC that the Defense Department expects to make an announcement soon, but he would not comment further.
President Trump ordered up the parade after attending a massive military parade in paris on Bastille Day in 2017.
“It was a tremendous day, and to a large extent because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July 4 in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue,” Trump said last September while meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“We’re going to have to try to top it, but we have a lot of planes going over and a lot of military might, and it was really a beautiful thing to see, and representatives from different wars and different uniforms,” he added, referring to the parade in Paris.
The $92 million includes security, transportation of parade assets, aircraft, as well as temporary duty for the troops who will be marching.
Plans, which are subject to change, include about eight tanks, as well as other armored vehicles, including Bradleys, Strykers and M113s.
The official told the network that earlier concerns about whether the Abrams tank, which weighs just shy of 70 tons, would ruin roads and other infrastructure in Washington were unfounded.
The parade will also include helicopters, fighter jets, transport aircraft and historic military planes.
Troops in period uniforms representing the past, present and future forces will march in the parade as well.
Critics have called the idea a waste of time and money.
“There’s no reason to do it aside from bolstering Trump’s ego,” said Thomas E. Ricks, a military historian.
