GOP Senator Says Trump's Military Parade Reminds Him Of North Korea

Yahoo

a day ago

WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump's upcoming military parade featuring dozens of tanks and other armed vehicles in the nation's capital this week isn't sitting well with some members of his party on Capitol Hill.
Asked about the June 14 event, which will cost taxpayers up to $45 million and will commemorate the Army's 250th anniversary, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed concerns about its cost and the imagery typically associated with authoritarian regimes in the former Soviet Union and North Korea.
'I love parades but I'm not really excited about $40 million for a parade,' Paul told HuffPost. 'I don't really think the symbolism of tanks and missiles is really what we're all about.'
'If you ask me about a military parade, all the images that come to mind, the first images, are of the Soviet Union and North Korea,' he added.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) also said he would spend the money on other things.
'The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history,' Kennedy told Fox News. 'We're a lion, and a lion doesn't have to tell you it's a lion. Everybody else in the jungle knows, and we're a lion. I would save the money, but if the president wants to have a parade, he's the President, and I'm not.'
The Saturday parade — which happens to fall on the president's birthday ― will feature a massive amount of military equipment and thousands of soldiers in Washington, D.C. It comes amid nationwide protests against Trump's immigration crackdowns and his decision to deploy military troops to help quell unrest in Los Angeles.
Trump on Tuesday threatened anyone planning to protest the parade, even though U.S. citizens have a constitutional right to peacefully assemble.
'If there's any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force, by the way. And for those people that want to protest, they're gonna be met with very big force,' the president said from the Oval Office.
Millions of people are expected to take part in 'No Kings' protests in more than 1,500 cities across the country on Saturday, organizers of the demonstrations have said. The effort is focused on pushing back against Trump's attacks on the rule of law. However, no 'No Kings' protests are planned for Washington, D.C., where the parade is being held.
'In America, we don't do kings,' reads a website for the demonstrations. 'They've defied our courts, deported Americans, disappeared people off the streets, attacked our civil rights, and slashed our services. The corruption has gone too. far.'