WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said this weekend’s military parade in the nation’s capital is a rain or shine event as forecasts show the potential for bad weather on parade day.
“I hope the weather’s okay, but actually if it’s not, that brings you good luck, and that’s okay, too,” Trump said June 12 in discussing the parade during the congressional picnic at the White House. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect the tanks at all, it doesn’t affect the soldiers. They’re used to it. They’re tough. Smart.”
Earlier in the day, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said there will be a military celebration “no matter what.”
“Any changes to the Army Birthday Parade will be announced by the Department of Defense or America 250 Commission. No matter what, a historic celebration of our military servicemembers will take place!” Kelly said. A Pentagon official added on June 13 that the “weather is being closely monitored and taken into consideration, but at this point nothing has changed.”
The National Weather Service forecast for Washington D.C. on June 14 has a 50% chance of rain. The forecast says it will be mostly cloudy with a high of 83. Thunderstorms are possible.
Trump is planning a large military parade through the streets of Washington D.C. June 14 on the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. It’s also his 79th birthday.
The second-term president described it as a “grand parade” in his picnic remarks, adding: “I don’t think we’ve ever seen the likes of what you’re going to see.”
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The parade is drawing comparisons to authoritarian regimes, with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, calling it a “dictator-style military parade.” Protesters are staging “No Kings” demonstrations across the country against Trump on the day of the parade.
“President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength,” a statement on the “No Kings” website reads. “But real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.”
The Army’s initial estimate for the parade covered a range from $25 million to $45 million. But the estimate has been refined as the event nears and includes damage to streets and infrastructure anticipated from heavy armored vehicles, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The $40 million in taxpayer dollars will fund a parade featuring Abrams tanks, vintage World War II warplanes and thousands of soldiers marching in period uniforms to mark the nation’s battles from the Revolutionary War to the present. A reviewing stand is being erected for Trump south of the White House.
The Army has also shipped tanks from Texas by railroad to Washington for the parade, and soldiers from other posts around the country. They are being housed downtown in government buildings transformed into makeshift barracks with thousands of cots.
Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Joey Garrison
(This story has been updated with more information.)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump gives update on whether rain could cancel military parade
