Trump's team reportedly wanted the kind of show-of-strength military marches typically seen in Moscow and Pyongyang. (Photo: AFP)
Jan 20, 2017
President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration team reportedly wanted to include tanks and missiles in his parade Friday to show off U.S. military power, the Huffington Postreported Thursday.
According to several sources involved in Friday's proceedings, Trump wanted to make sure his swearing-in came amid an "unusual display of heavy military equipment," the HuffPost's Jessica Schulberg reported--although the military itself ultimately denied the request.
"They were legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade," the source said, referring to the kind of show-of-strength military marches typically seen in Moscow and Pyongyang.
As Trump himself told the Washington Post on Wednesday of plans for the parade, "That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we're going to be showing our military."
Schulberg writes:
The military, which traditionally works closely with the presidential inaugural committee, shot down the request, the source said. Their reason was twofold. Some were concerned about the optics of having tanks and missile launchers rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue. But they also worried that the tanks, which often weigh over 100,000 pounds, would destroy the roads.
"I could absolutely see structural support being a reason [not to use tanks]," a Department of Defense official said. "D.C. is built on a swamp to begin with."
There will, however, be five military flyovers representing each wing of the armed forces--which are not typical for inauguration parades.
Stephen Kerrigan, a top official in both of President Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremonies, said he was "shocked" to hear about the flyover plans. "It seems unnecessary and the optics don't seem appropriate. ...It's very Red Square," he said.
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration team reportedly wanted to include tanks and missiles in his parade Friday to show off U.S. military power, the Huffington Postreported Thursday.
According to several sources involved in Friday's proceedings, Trump wanted to make sure his swearing-in came amid an "unusual display of heavy military equipment," the HuffPost's Jessica Schulberg reported--although the military itself ultimately denied the request.
"They were legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade," the source said, referring to the kind of show-of-strength military marches typically seen in Moscow and Pyongyang.
As Trump himself told the Washington Post on Wednesday of plans for the parade, "That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we're going to be showing our military."
Schulberg writes:
The military, which traditionally works closely with the presidential inaugural committee, shot down the request, the source said. Their reason was twofold. Some were concerned about the optics of having tanks and missile launchers rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue. But they also worried that the tanks, which often weigh over 100,000 pounds, would destroy the roads.
"I could absolutely see structural support being a reason [not to use tanks]," a Department of Defense official said. "D.C. is built on a swamp to begin with."
There will, however, be five military flyovers representing each wing of the armed forces--which are not typical for inauguration parades.
Stephen Kerrigan, a top official in both of President Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremonies, said he was "shocked" to hear about the flyover plans. "It seems unnecessary and the optics don't seem appropriate. ...It's very Red Square," he said.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration team reportedly wanted to include tanks and missiles in his parade Friday to show off U.S. military power, the Huffington Postreported Thursday.
According to several sources involved in Friday's proceedings, Trump wanted to make sure his swearing-in came amid an "unusual display of heavy military equipment," the HuffPost's Jessica Schulberg reported--although the military itself ultimately denied the request.
"They were legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade," the source said, referring to the kind of show-of-strength military marches typically seen in Moscow and Pyongyang.
As Trump himself told the Washington Post on Wednesday of plans for the parade, "That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we're going to be showing our military."
Schulberg writes:
The military, which traditionally works closely with the presidential inaugural committee, shot down the request, the source said. Their reason was twofold. Some were concerned about the optics of having tanks and missile launchers rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue. But they also worried that the tanks, which often weigh over 100,000 pounds, would destroy the roads.
"I could absolutely see structural support being a reason [not to use tanks]," a Department of Defense official said. "D.C. is built on a swamp to begin with."
There will, however, be five military flyovers representing each wing of the armed forces--which are not typical for inauguration parades.
Stephen Kerrigan, a top official in both of President Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremonies, said he was "shocked" to hear about the flyover plans. "It seems unnecessary and the optics don't seem appropriate. ...It's very Red Square," he said.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.