Cost of Trump's military parade could run into millions

President Donald Trump’s proposed military “celebration” through Washington D.C. could carry a hefty price tag, if similar U.S. parades of years past are any indication.

Trump has expressed interest in a military parade similar to France’s Bastille Day, which the president attended as a guest of honor last July, the Washington Post reported. Key details of the parade, such as location, funding and scope of the proceedings and funding, have yet to be determined, but the Washington Post reported the cost of shipping tanks and other military hardware to the nation’s capital would likely run “in the millions.”

President George H. W. Bush’s military parade to commemorate the end of the Gulf War in June 1991 cost about $12 million, according to a C-Span report that year. That parade would have cost more than $21 million in 2018, after factoring for inflation.

“The French march well. We fight well. Take your pick,” Lt. Col. Ralph Peters told FOX News. “If we really want to honor our troops and support them, pass the defense budget. Give them the tools and the funding they need.”

A White House official told the Washington Post that the parade is still in the “brainstorming” stage and that nothing had been finalized yet. Military officials said it was unclear how any parade would be funded.

“President Trump is incredibly supportive of America’s great service members who risk their lives every day to keep our country safe. He has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.