Seven years after a military parade in France captivated the president, Donald Trump is finally getting to throw a parade of his own.
On Saturday, military vehicles, equipment and soldiers are set to march down Constitution Avenue. The administration is hailing the day as an opportunity to celebrate and honor the armed services on the 250th anniversary of the Army. It also happens to be Trump’s 79th birthday.
It’s a marked contrast from eight years ago when Trump administration officials were openly scoffing at the idea of a parade. Retired Navy Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, a former aide to then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis, wrote in a book that Mattis said “he’d rather swallow acid” than watch the parade.