WASHINGTON – Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul criticized the military parade backed by President Donald Trump, arguing the grand event was too expensive for the country and “glorified” weapons.
The June 14 parade, featuring heavy tanks and thousands of troops parading through the streets of Washington, marked the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which coincidentally fell on Trump’s 79th birthday. Paul told NBC News’ Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” that he “never liked the idea of the parade.”
“I grew up in the 70s and 80s, and the only parades I can remember are Soviet parades for the most part, or North Korean parades. And the parades I remember from our history were different,” he said, referencing the iconic photograph of a sailor kissing a woman in New York City’s Times Square at the end of World War II.
“We were rejoicing the end of war and we were rejoicing our soldiers coming home, and that absolutely ought to be commemorated…but we never glorified weapons so much. And I know he means well. I don’t think he means for any of this to be depicted in another fashion, but I’m just not a big fan,” Paul added.
Paul also knocked the cost of the parade. “We’re $2 trillion in the hole and just an additional cost like this, I’m not for it,” he said.
An Army estimate for its commemoration totaled $40 million, USA TODAY previously reported.
Trump defended his decision to stage the parade, saying in remarks on June 14 that, “Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did, too.”
It’s not the first time Paul has bucked Trump in recent weeks. He’s also voiced opposition to the president’s sweeping tax and domestic policy bill, arguing that it would only balloon the country’s budget deficit.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that it would add roughly $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. The legislation would also have major impacts on Medicaid, taxes, food programs and more.
Paul told Welker that he spoke with Trump on June 14 after the parade, and he’s not an “absolute no” on Trump’s bill. “I don’t have as much trouble with the tax cuts. I think there should be more spending cuts. But if they want my vote, they’ll have to negotiate,” he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GOP senator criticizes Trump’s military parade: ‘Never liked the idea’
