WH: Trump Parade to Go On, Rain or Shine

The massive military parade that President Trump has long wanted is set to step off from the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday evening, with tanks, bands, and thousands of troops. The biggest question marks are whether it will be overshadowed or delayed by either the weather in Washington or planned protests elsewhere around the country, per the AP.

• Falling on Trump's 79th birthday, the parade was added just a few weeks ago to the Army's long-planned 250th anniversary celebration. It has triggered criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates down along the route.

• The Army expects as many as 200,000 people could attend the festival and parade. The festival will begin around 9:30am ET and feature fitness competitions, demonstrations, equipment displays, music, and a cake-cutting ceremony.
• The parade, set to begin at 6:30pm, will wind down Constitution Avenue, which is already lined with security fencing and barriers. Army helicopters and aircraft will fly above. Timed down to the minute, the march will be divided into sections by history—with equipment and troops in full dress from each period. It will include a total of 6,169 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, armored personnel carriers, and artillery, while 62 aircraft fly overhead.
• At the end of the parade, Trump will swear in 250 new or reenlisting troops, and the Army's Golden Knights parachute team will jump onto the National Mall. That will be capped off by a concert featuring "God Bless the USA" singer Lee Greenwood and fireworks.
• With rain expected, there's a chance the parade could be interrupted by thunderstorms. A White House rep has said the march will go on rain or shine, but it could be delayed if there's lightning, with authorities quick to empty the expansive National Mall if that happens during major events.
• The parade fulfills Trump's expressed desire for a big parade that he tried to get done in his first presidential term after seeing one in France on Bastille Day in 2017. Trump said that after watching the two-hour procession along the famed Champs-Elysees, he wanted an even grander one on Pennsylvania Avenue.
• About 6 in 10 Americans say Saturday's parade is "not a good use" of government money, including the vast majority of people (78%) who neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

More here.

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