Concern grows within military about Trump's proposed parade [View all]
Source: MSN/CNN
There is growing concern within the US military about the costs of President Donald Trump's proposed military parade and the disruption it could cause.
If Trump insists on a military parade through Washington involving thousands of troops, armored vehicles, missiles and other heavy weapons the event could disrupt crucial military training schedules, according to a defense official directly familiar with the initial planning efforts.
There are also concerns over the cost of the event, and a second defense official tells CNN that the Pentagon is considering seeking out private donations to offset some of the non-military costs of the event. The donations could not cover military salaries or the cost of moving equipment but they could be used to pay for other aspects of the parade.
There are no firm cost estimates until President Trump orders the military to stage a specific event, but very preliminary estimates suggest the cost could run between $3 million and $50 million, the first official said, emphasizing that nothing is certain at this point. There is no money currently allocated for a parade in the defense budget. Budget director Mick Mulvaney said Wednesday that he has seen estimates that a military parade could cost $10 million to $30 million.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/concern-grows-within-military-about-trumps-proposed-parade/ar-BBJfAQ8
It is actually a brilliant move on the Trump administration's part. They can get thousands of members of the military to stand at attention and salute Trump as a brilliant military leader at tax payer expense, thus avoiding the optics of empty crowds. Likewise, the opposition party will be portrayed 24/7 on Fox News as being anti-military causing members of the military and their families to fall in line behind Trump and Republicans because opposition to Trump will be seen as synonymous as being against members of the military.
Think of how the NFL player's protests against Trump and brutality were re-framed by Fox News and Trump as hating the U.S. Using the military as a prop will allow Trump to hide behind them and Fox News to spin any opposition as hating members of the military. Trump can call into Fox and Friends where he can rip on folks like Tammy Duckworth for her failure to understand the sacrifices of members of the military.
Perhaps Trump can even get white nationalists to show solidarity by wearing matching brown shirts as they line the parade route.
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