19 January 2017 – President-elect Donald Trump said he will hold military parades while
in office to be a “great cheerleader for the country.” In an interview with The Washington
Post on Wednesday, in which Trump spoke at length about conveying the image of
America as a great power, he said it is part of his job to show off the military’s Power.
He vowed to “show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our
military.” “That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military
may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we’re
going to be showing our military,” he said, apparently unaware of the association military
parades have with authoritarian regimes. Like most of his other statements, the grandiose
plan lacked specifics. It was unclear if the planned military parades would be conducted in
tandem with Moscow, where tanks and fighter jets descend on the city each May 9 for
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s show of military might.
See also 2017 Military Pay Charts