After postponing his coveted military parade—an event which 75 percent of respondents in a poll earlier this year said was not a good use of government funds—President Donald Trump shared with his Twitter followers on Friday that he’ll find another use for the money that would have paid for the parade: adding to the military’s already-massive collection of weapons.
“Now we can buy some more jet fighters!” Trump declared.
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
….attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, & go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th. Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2018
On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that the parade would not move forward this year, after estimates for the events cost jumped more than 600 percent from previous proposals. Officials told the Associated Press that the parade was expected to cost $92 million, up from the initial estimate of $12 million.
Trump quickly blamed the local government in Washington, D.C. for estimating the exorbitant cost—an accusation Mayor Muriel Bowser readily accepted.
Yup, I’m Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad). https://t.co/vqC3d8FLqx
— MurielBowser (@MurielBowser) August 17, 2018
this is obviously an untruth belched from the diseased mind of a shrieking dimwit, but man if it doesn’t make the DC government look good https://t.co/2aXe1nE5hf
— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) August 17, 2018
Other critics derided Trump’s plan to travel to Paris in order to see France’s military parade once again, now that his own plans had fallen through.
https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1030433173124079616
Our wannabe dictator is going to Paris to get his parade fix. https://t.co/xs8WJXulIS
— Jeffrey N. (@Jnitros) August 17, 2018
Others condemned the president’s knee-jerk push for “more jet fighters” by pointing out much more worthwhile and pressing needs those funds could be used for:
“Now we can buy some more jet fighters.”
I call upon those who routinely cite their support for veterans to *immediately* put forward a spending bill that directs the $92 million saved on the parade to prevent veterans’ homelessness.@CongressmanHice https://t.co/dCBBvRdHNZ
— Chalis Montgomery (@Chalis4GA) August 17, 2018
Or here’s a crazy idea — feed and house our homeless veterans https://t.co/9LMDBmh5C9
— Will Bunch (@Will_Bunch) August 17, 2018
No need for ‘some more jet fighters’ ! Take the money and do your damn job ! Help #Flint, #PuertoRico and support the #Veterans ! pic.twitter.com/n6VCYUTx5i
— Marko Silberhand (@MarkoSilberhand) August 17, 2018
In fact, several noted, the $92 million the parade would have cost would not even buy a single fighter jet.
How many jet fighter does he think he can get for $92 million? https://t.co/4CmGlTLoW7
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) August 17, 2018
Unfortunately $92 million doesn’t quite buy even one F-35 fighter jet. https://t.co/3WXoakLema
— Larry Baker (@waterthinker) August 17, 2018
It could, however, pay for clean water in Flint, Michigan, where water pipes are not scheduled to be replaced until 2020—with tens of millions of dollars left over.
Trump’s military parade: $92 million.
Clean water in Flint: $55 million.
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) August 16, 2018
Top Photo | President Donald Trump speaks during his meeting with members of his cabinet in Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, July 18, 2018. Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP
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