Explainer: You Need To Be Aware of the $45 Million Military Parade Trump Wants On His Birthday

What you need to know: June 14th is the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It is also Donald Trump's birthday. The plan is to have a parade costing anywhere from 25-45 million in the nation's capital. It will include a column of M1 Abrams tanks, 6,600 soldiers, and 50 aircraft.

Why you should care:

• In a time of economic uncertainty, this is a terrible use of money. Also, I thought we were cutting government waste? That's why we're struggling to fund cancer research?
• You haven't heard of other Presidents doing this sort of thing because it is deeply unAmerican. That this is happening on his birthday is a major strike against it.

What you will hear from the President's fans:

• "It's good. It celebrates those in uniform. How could it be bad?"
• "It doesn't harm anyone."
• "Other countries do it."
• "The President likes yuge things. So what?"

A More Detailed Discussion of the Parade's True Costs

At the very least, the M1 Abrams tanks are expected to tear up the streets. From The Guardian: "The army will place large metal plates at key points on the streets to better protect the pavement from the movements of the battle tanks, which weigh more than 60 tons and carry a crew of four." The mayor of D.C. has already asked the federal government to cover the costs of street repairs.

It makes sense that the tanks would tear up the streets. That is what they are meant to do. That's why they are used in combat.

Also, it is not exactly a great use of resources to bring this many people together for a parade. Again, from The Guardian:

About 5,000 of the participating service members will arrive a few days before the parade and be housed on unused floors of a General Services Administration building and an agriculture department building, an army spokesperson told the Washington Post.

Vehicles will arrive by rail and be trucked into the city, while participating aircraft will fly in.

It is important to remember that as Trump brings in soldiers to celebrate, he is cutting the Veterans Administration (h/t Mary Feeney). "The Trump Administration plans to cut over 80,000 VA jobs," says this report from a Charleston ABC affiliate, noting that 25% of VA staffers are veterans themselves. Also, if you believe that serving the nation means you should get some help in buying a home, the Trump administration has taken steps to stop that too: "Trump's VA strands thousands of veterans by ending a key mortgage program." The stories are endless. You just have to watch a network other than Fox to see them.

We should also note that millions of dollars can feed tens of thousands of kids per year. Many have railed at school lunch programs, screaming that children should starve because their families are undeserving. Well, here's $45 million proposed for a parade. Thanks to a tip from Dan Arndt, I looked up how much Vermont spends on feeding the children of 30,000 families who can't qualify for federal aid but are definitely not rich. That number is $18 million.

Again, we're cutting cancer research, we are not vaccinating people despite preventable outbreaks, Medicaid (which pays for births and nursing homes) is in serious danger. This is all happening while the President wants to accept a luxury jet from Qatar and has openly taken money from Elon Musk, ABC, Amazon, Google, Apple, and a host of others.

The response to the President's fans has to be 1) it certainly looks like his financial priorities are not defensible 2) this looks like an awful lot of corruption on Mr. Trump's part. There is no need to convince them of incompetence or criminality. You yourself may believe Mr. Trump means well but has made some mistakes. However, you must concede that "the President likes yuge things" doesn't justify anything. There are real harms that $45 million could help prevent. The country is obviously not in great shape and those in uniform are better served by actual benefits and not an elaborate ceremony.

Which brings us to the issue of the President's birthday. It doesn't matter if the President sincerely believes that he is having a parade to celebrate the armed forces on his birthday. If you saw a leader of another country have a massive military parade on their birthday, what would you think about that country? The appearance of being a king or dictator is something other Presidents have striven to avoid. George Washington's reputation is that of a titan because he stepped away from the Presidency when two terms was not a rule. Trump is very clear that he is not merely a democratically elected businessman. "I alone can fix it" is not what a servant of the people says. Just look at the White House and how it has been decorated; the style screams monarchy. The $45 million parade is, as of now, part of the case that Trump does not intend on leaving the White House. It's up to you to decide if that matters or not.