Donald Trump planning huge military parade in Washington for his 79th birthday, plans show
2 May 2025, 07:20
The US will hold a huge military parade with thousands of soldiers and helicopters for President Donald Trump's birthday, according to a new plan that has emerged.
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Armoured vehicles, seven army bands and a concert will also feature, according to a blueprint seen by the Associated Press.
It will involve more than 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters and over 2,000 civilians, documents suggest.
It is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars to hold a parade of that scale.
The military procession will be followed by a fireworks display at night, plans indicate.
Trump's 79th birthday on June 14 happens to coincide with the army's long-planned 250th anniversary festival.
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Col Dave Butler, Army spokesman, told AP: “We want to make it into an event that the entire nation can celebrate with us..
"We want Americans to know their Army and their soldiers. A parade might become part of that, and we think that will be an excellent addition to what we already have planned.”
But concerns have been raised over the staggering cost of hosting such an event.
One file also raises "significant concerns regarding security requirements" over equipment being sent to Washington on trains and planes.
This comes after Washington initially denied reports that it plans to hold a military parade in the US capital on Trump's birthday.
In his first term, Trump ordered the Pentagon to explore staging a military parade in the city after he saw Paris' Bastille Day celebrations alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2017.
“I don’t know. We’re gonna have to try and top it,” Trump later said, adding “but we had a lot of planes going over and a lot of military might, and it was really a beautiful thing to see.”
He later cancelled the planned parade in August 2018.