Trump tightens hard the grip on his wallet
"Maybe we'll do something next year when the cost LOWS A LOT," the president tweeted about the parade scheduled for November 11, Veterans Day, which will not take place this year. The president of the United States has a tightly held portfolio and does not want to spend even a single dollar, unless it is well justified. The important celebration of veteran fighters will not be carried out as reported by the Department of Defense. In addition it was expected that this military parade would be a demonstration of strength and power of the American arsenal, after Trump attended the military parade by Emmanuel Macron in commemoration of Bastille Day, in Paris.
As a guest of President Emmanuel Macron, the US president watched enthusiastically the French parade from a rostrum, while French forces displayed their tanks and fighter jets.
"We will have to try to make it better", he said at the time after congratulating the French head of state. However, the longing of the tenant of the White House was frustrated by several logistical and economic problems that arose, including the damage that heavy tanks could cause to the roads of Washington, as well as the high costs that would have to move the military arsenal.
The military parade would have the participation of soldiers from the five branches of the armed forces of the United States: the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Infantry and the Coast Guard, as well as units in uniforms of periods that represent the different years of the American military history. In addition, a series of overflights of military aircraft was expected.
However, the administration of Donald Trump through Colonel Rob Manning, spokesman for the Pentagon, reported that the army and the White House "have now agreed to explore opportunities for 2019." Ironically, hours before, Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis, a spokesman for the Pentagon too, had declared: "The planning of the parade in the Department of Defense continues and the last details are still in development. Any calculation of costs is preliminary."
A statement from the president revealed that "ridiculously high" costs caused the cancellation of the military parade on the streets of Washington. The president has shown his dissatisfaction and accused local politicians of inflating prices. However, the Pentagon itself estimated the aircraft, equipment and personnel at about 92 million dollars. An Associated Press’ report published that US officials estimated the cost of the parade above the initial price indicated by the White House, about 50 million dollars. It was expected that the rest of the capital would be given by other agencies.
Within the total sum of the parade in addition to the cost of aircraft, tanks and logistics there was the security to ensure the peaceful development of the parade. It was also revealed that Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis had not authorized the plans.
The military parade had a heavy political charge, especially for the battles and the quarrels that in economic matters Washington has waged against nations such as China, Russia and Iran. Now these enemies will have to wait until next year to see what "muscles" the White House has. Undoubtedly, the parade would have been a psychological and political blow for the opponents of the United States that are now happy with the cancellation of the military deployment.
In addition, the Pentagon canceled an important military exercise planned for August with South Korea, following the Trump summit with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump said the drills were provocative and that canceling them would save the United States "a monumental amount of money." As it was later published, the cost of the joint maneuvers with South Korea, besides the diplomatic cost there was the financial one that amounted to 14 million dollars.
Donald Trump is like the dog that barks and does not bite or at least, he really likes to save a lot, but a lot of money.