Uniformed military lawyers were alarmed by a demand from Donald Trump to have tens of thousands of active-duty troops take part in a military parade during the president’s visit to an Army base, according to a report.
Just before Trump’s June visit to Fort Bragg, the White House called the base and told officials that the president wanted all 50,000 troops stationed there to put on a parade, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources.
Trump’s June 10 trip to Fort Bragg in North Carolina was to mark the Army’s upcoming 250th birthday. Just four days later, a long-planned, multimillion-dollar military parade celebrating the Army’s anniversary—which just so happens to have coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday—took place through the streets of Washington, D.C.
Military lawyers at the Pentagon strongly advised against Trump’s demand for another parade at Fort Bragg, citing Department of Defense policy that prohibits the use of active-duty personnel for political events.
However, the president still flogged merchandise with pro-Trump political slogans at the base during his visit. Pentagon lawyers also instructed troops in attendance not to cheer or jeer during the president’s remarks, which included partisan attacks on his predecessor, Joe Biden, but many ignored the directive.
“Who is going to listen to them when they know the president wants to do something?” a source told CNN.
Trump’s fascination with military parades dates back years. He is said to have first expressed interest in staging one during his first term after witnessing France’s Bastille Day celebrations in Paris in July 2017.
He finally got his wish on June 14, when a rain-soaked and underwhelming procession rolled through Washington, D.C., featuring military vehicles and thousands of soldiers.
Author Michael Wolff told the Daily Beast Podcast that Trump was furious over the flop of a parade, claiming the president “reamed out” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for failing to deliver the “menacing” show of force he wanted.
The U.S. Navy later attempted to appease Trump with a special parade on Oct. 5 in Norfolk, Virginia, marking the Navy’s 250th anniversary. The event featured a fighter jet emblazoned with “President Donald J. Trump 45–47” on its tail, along with a live military demonstration that included Navy destroyers firing missiles and shells into the sea.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the Department of Defense for comment.
