Trump Slams DC Leadership Over Parade

UPDATE: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser fired back at Trump, making fun of him as the "reality star in the White House."

Yup, I’m Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad). https://t.co/vqC3d8FLqx
— MurielBowser (@MurielBowser) August 17, 2018

Her chief of staff also got in on the action.

When they go low, we go high

Like our bond rating https://t.co/D3jltGd9dX

‘who run Washington, D.C. (poorly)’? That claim is #FakeNews https://t.co/pWaM9B97r0
— John J. Falcicchio (@falcicchio) August 17, 2018

Original story:

WASHINGTON, DC -- President Trump has abandoned his quest for a military parade in D.C., and he blames city leadership for that.

A report surfaced Thursday that the Veterans Day military parade Trump wants would cost a staggering $92 million, three times the price the White House reportedly had quoted.

Trump lashed out on Twitter at D.C. leadership Friday morning, suggesting that they were trying to profit off of the parade.

"The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it," he tweeted just before 8 a.m. "When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it.

"Never let someone hold you up!" he continued. "I will instead attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, & go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th. Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!"

(For $92 million, the Pentagon could almost buy one Air Force F-35A, which costs $94.3 million. The Navy and Marine Corps variants of the fighter are significantly more expensive than that.)

According to the Associated Press, the majority of the price -- about $50 million -- would be to cover the costs for aircraft, equipment, and personnel. Other agencies would foot the rest of the bill, which would largely involve providing security.

A Defense Department spokesman reportedly said in a statement that the Pentagon would "explore opportunities in 2019" for a military parade.

Trump reportedly was inspired to try to host a military parade after being impressed by the Bastille Day parade in France, which included a show of troops and military equipment.

(Photo by Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images)