2 days ago
Thunderstorms could dampen Trump's big birthday parade and may even lead to its cancelation
Forecasted thunderstorms in Washington D.C. could dampen President Donald Trump's big birthday parade this weekend and may even lead to its cancelation.
In honor of the Army's 250th birthday, Trump has pushed for a parade officials estimate will cost up to $45 million — which also happens to fall on the president's 79th birthday.
'Rain won't stop us, the tanks don't melt, but if there's lightning then that puts the crowd at risk,' Steve Warren, chief spokesman of the Army, told The Times, regarding the expected thunderstorms Saturday.
He warned officials 'will disperse the crowd and even cancel or postpone the parade' if there is lightning.
'It will depend on the president, too, when he's available,' Warren said.
An AccuWeather forecaster told The Independent temperatures will be in the mid-80s in the afternoon, but with the humidity, it will probably feel five to 10 degrees warmer.
The parade is expected to last from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. local time.
'As we head into the evening hours, we do have to be concerned about at least thunderstorms in the area,' the forecaster said. 'If there is a thunderstorm obviously not only lightning would be a concern, but also, with all the humidity in the air, it can certainly have some downpours with it.'
Warren said General Randy George, the Army's Chief of Staff, will make the final call on what to do if there is bad weather.
'It's June in Washington DC. We get thunderstorms. You could delay it, you could look at it and say this is just passing through. Or say, hey, this is a storm which gets bigger for a while,' Warren said.
The parade will feature around 6,600 Army troops and military equipment, including a WWII-vintage B-25 bomber, a P-1 fighter and Huey helicopters used in the Vietnam War, according to Politico.
There will also be 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armored vehicles and four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, Reuters reported.
NBC News reports it may cost as much as $16 million to repair the streets of Washington, D.C. after the tanks roll through the parade.
Several lawmakers, including Republicans, have spoken out against the parade, with Senator Rand Paul, a fiscal hawk from Kentucky, going as far as to compare it to the trumped-up military parades of the Soviet Union and North Korea.
A majority of Americans also don't seem to have the best view of the parade. An Associated Press and NORC survey published Thursday found 60 percent of respondents said the parade is 'not a good use of government funds.'
Trump said the cost of the event is 'peanuts compared to the value of doing it,' in a May 4 interview on NBC News' Meet the Press.
'We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it,' he said.
Americans against Trump's policies plan to hold 'No Kings' protests in hundreds of cities across the country Saturday to coincide with the president's birthday parade.
