President Donald Trump has never let the country forget that the only other thing he loves beside himself is America. He recently expressed to his administration that he wants a military parade. There are many obstacles and criticisms that may keep this from happening at all. The price tag, potential damage, disruption and overall reasoning behind the parade would cause more harm than good.

The reasons for the parade are as vague as the plans for it. Trump said he wants to top the French Bastille Day Parade he saw last year in Paris. He expressed his admiration for the parade, which France holds annually to commemorate the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. There’s no other reason for Trump wanting this parade other than wanting to have a parade better than Bastille Day. 

Military parades are either used to celebrate a victory or in countries with dictatorships. One can’t help but think of North Korea or of Hitler when thinking about a military parade used only for the ego of a leader. There’s no good reason for the parade. The last military parade in Washington D.C. was in 1991, to celebrate victory in Operation Desert Storm, according to NPR.

According to the Washington Post, others such as Washington D.C.  Mayor Muriel E. Bowser have commented, saying, “Usually when you see big military parades, it’s celebrating an end of a war, and I don’t think that’s been announced.”

The cost of the proposed military parade turned the heads of many, including Trump’s administration. A U.S. official told NPR that the parade could cost from $3 million to $50 million depending on the size and the length of the parade. If Trump wants to top the Bastille Day Parade, that would mean matching the length of their parade, which was over two hours long. 

According to the New York Times, funding for the parade was not included in the White House’s 2019 budget request, and would come from existing money in the Department of Defense budget, Department of Homeland Security or National Park Service. Trump’s budget proposed cutting funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a low-income food program, to pay for the military. 

According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, $30 million for the parade would provide SNAP benefits to about 20,000 people. If the government should use the money for anything, feeding people would be a higher priority for the country rather than displaying patriotism when there has been no recent military victory. If there’s going to be a large military parade, it should be because we are bringing troops home, not to show off.

Local officials in Washington have concerns over potential road damage the parade could cause if it involves 70 ton tanks, since the incident in the 1991 celebration when the roads had to be repaved afterwards, according to the Washington Post. If heavy military machines damage the roads, that would be an additional cost to the already expensive military parade.

Trump should be focusing on more important issues. Alternative ways to show his respect to the military are to help homeless veterans, support mental health of the soldiers and provide more support for disabled veterans. Support in those issues would better represent his admiration for the military than a parade. 

Spending lots of money in a competing parade to show off is only representing the United States as a country that needs an ego boost. Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana told NPR reporters, “I think confidence is silent and insecurity is loud.”