Trump administration is having early talks to hold a military parade in nation’s capital on June 14

By MICHELLE L PRICE and LOLITA C BALDOR WASHINGTON AP The Trump administration is having early discussions about a grand military parade in the nation s capital this summer something that is a long-held dream of President Donald Trump Related Articles RFK Jr says he plans to tell CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water Colleges around the US say a few international students visas are being revoked Trump threatens China with more tariffs as markets show volatility What to do with your k amid region turmoil hint don t panic Maine sues the Trump administration over funding freeze after dispute over transgender athletes D C Mayor Muriel Bowser explained Monday that the administration had reached out to the city about holding a parade on June that would stretch from Arlington Virginia where the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery are located across the Potomac River and into Washington D C The Army is in early discussions about potentially adding a parade to the Army s th birthday festival which is being held June according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are ongoing and no decisions have been made June is also Trump s th birthday The White House in a announcement disclosed that no military parade has been scheduled The Army birthday festival which has been in the planning stages for about two years is to include an array of sessions and displays on the National Mall including Army Stryker armored vehicles Humvees helicopters and other equipment In a comment Col David Butler an Army spokesman noted that it s too early to say yet whether or not we re having a parade but we re working with the White House as well as several executive agencies to make the celebration a national level event Trump in his first term proposed having a grand military parade in the U S after watching one in France on Bastille Day in Trump disclosed after watching the two-hour procession along the famed Champs-Elysees that he requested a grander one in Washington on Pennsylvania Avenue But the event never happened due to expected high costs with one estimate of a million price tag and logistical hangups Trump in mentioned in a post on the social media site then known as Twitter that he was canceling the event over costs and accused local politicians of price gouging When appealed to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade they sought a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it he declared in his post Bowser speaking at a news conference Monday mentioned she didn t know if the event was being characterized as a military parade but stated military tanks rolling through the city s streets would not be good If military tanks were used they should be accompanied with numerous millions of dollars to repair the roads she reported Takis Karantonis the chair of the Arlington County Board noted in a comment that Secret Organization contacted the county on Friday regarding the possibility of a military parade to celebrate the th Anniversary of the U S Army but no further details were offered Karantonis mentioned it was not clear what the scope of the parade would be but announced I would hope the Federal Leadership remains sensitive to the pain and concerns of numerous ongoing military and veteran residents who have lost or might lose their jobs in latest federal decisions as they reflect on how best to celebrate the Army s anniversary Though Bowser was more matter-of-fact in her remarks Monday the District of Columbia had publicly mocked the idea of a military parade during Trump s first term The D C Council s official account on X mentioned in a January post about winter weather that schools and leadership offices would still open on time but then added The Giant Tank Parade Still cancelled Months later in June the account posted a Defense Department memo to show that the military opposed using tanks on city streets The latest parade plans were first released by Washington City Paper on Sunday Associated Press writer Ashraf Khalil contributed to this statement