After publicly pursuing a controversial plan for a military parade in the nation’s capital later this year, President Donald Trump reversed course in a pair of tweets Friday morning.
A number of military officials and politicians bristled at Trump’s plan based onthe cost and complexity of putting together such an elaborate display, among other factors.
Reports earlier this week indicated the parade would come with a price tag of about $92 million.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, however, pushed back on those reports, saying he would not be “dignifying that number with a reply” and implying the source was high on marijuana when he or she came up with the figure.
“I’ll almost guarantee you one thing: They probably said, ‘I need to stay anonymous,’” Mattis added. “No kidding, because you look like an idiot. And number two, whoever worte it needs to get better sources. I’ll just leave it at that.”
Whatever the final estimate was, the cost was apparently too steep for the White House.
The president blamed “local politicians” for artificially inflating the cost, promising to postpone the parade until “the cost comes WAY DOWN.”
The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it. When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up! I will instead…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2018
“The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it,” he tweeted.
“When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up!” – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Secretary of Defense James Mattis gave a strong rebuke to the recent news that the military parade, to take place at the orders of President Donald Trump, was going to cost $90 million.
While traveling in South America, Mattis told reporters he had not seen an estimated cost for the total parade.
Mattis then gave his thoughts on the report and the defense official who provided the high number.
“Whoever told you that is probably smoking something that’s legal in my state, but not in most states,” he said. – READ MORE
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