Most Americans think Trump's military parade is 'not a good use' of money, poll shows
With hours to go until the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade hits the streets of Washington, D.C., a new poll reveals Americans' opinions about the event.
In the poll released June 12 from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, a majority of the American adults surveyed said the parade is not a good use of government money.
AP-NORC surveyed 1,158 American adults from June 5-8 for the poll, which had a margin of error of +/- 4.0 percentage points.
The Army Birthday Festival is expected to cost about $40 million, a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly previously told USA TODAY.
The parade, which will coincide with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday on June 14, will feature military demonstrations, equipment displays and live music throughout the day, according to organizers. More than 7,000 troops, two dozen tanks and armored vehicles each and 50 helicopters are set to be part of the event.
Here's a look at the results from AP-NORC's poll.
More adults approve than disapprove of Trump's military parade
Overall, 40% of adults surveyed said they approve of Trump's decision to hold a military parade. About 29% of adults said they disapprove, while 31% chose neither approve or disapprove.
When broken down by party affiliation, just 20% of Democrats said they approve of the parade. Half of Democratic respondents said they disapprove and 29% said neither.
For Republicans, 67% said they approve, while just 11% said they disapprove. About 21% said neither.
Military parade time What time is Trump's DC military parade? See full festival schedule
6 in 10 Americans think military parade is 'not a good use' of money
Regarding the parade's hefty price tag, overall, 60% of adults said the parade is not a good use of government funds. About 38% said it is a good use of government funds.
80% of Democrats said it is not a good use of funds, while 19% said the opposite.
Of the Republicans in the survey, 65% said it is a good use of funds and 35% disagreed.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
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