Donald Trump has given a bizarre justification for this weekend’s multi-million-dollar military party: without U.S. involvement in World War 2, Americans would be speaking German-Japanese.
The president revealed his theory in the Oval Office as Washington prepares to honor the 250th birthday of the Army, and the president’s 79th birthday, with a parade extravaganza on June 14.
The sound and visual spectacular will take place along Constitution Avenue and feature thousands of uniformed troops marching in formation, as well as about 100 military vehicles, including M1A2/Abrams tanks, plus Black Hawk, Apache, and Chinook helicopters.
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Asked about the parade on Tuesday before heading to Fort Bragg to kickstart the week’s festivities, Trump said the parade was a chance for America to celebrate its victory in the Second World War, just as other allied countries had.
“If it weren’t for us, you would be speaking German right now, ok?” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
“You might be speaking Japanese, too. You might be speaking a combination of both. We’re the only ones that didn’t celebrate it - but we’re going to celebrate it Saturday.”
“It’s gonna be an amazing day. We’ll have tanks, we’ll have planes, we’ll have all sorts of things. I think it’s gonna be great.”
The Army expects the parade will cost between $25 million and $45 million before security and clean-up costs, although Trump has insisted he will be paying for most of it.
Preparations are already underway, with 18 miles of “anti-scale fencing” being erected across D.C., multiple drones set to monitor crowds, and beefed-up security across the district.
But a series of counter demonstrations will also take place across the country on Saturday, potentially drawing tens of thousands of people to the streets to decry the parade.
Inspired by the “Hands Off” protests against Trump and Elon Musk earlier this year, the so-called “No Kings” protests had been planned weeks ago.
However, the president’s decision to deploy thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles as part of his immigration crackdown has galvanized protest groups.
“From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism and show the world what democracy actually looks like: people, united, refusing to be ruled,” said progressive group Indivisible in a statement last month.
Trump said any protesters spoiling his party “will be met with very big force.”
“These are people that hate our country,” he added.
