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Donald Trump has boasted the military parade on Flag Day will be like “nothing you’ve ever seen before”.
Trump gushed over plans for the “unforgettable celebration” in a video address on Truth Social late on Thursday, amid a ferocious media storm over his stunning fallout with Tesla boss Elon Musk.
“On Saturday June 14th, which is Flag Day, we are honoring the 250th anniversary of the greatest fighting force in history, the United States Army. We will celebrate [with] a spectacular military parade in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Follow all the latest on the Trump-Musk feud on our live blog.
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The parade will be “one like you’ve never seen before”, the president said. Trump will also be celebrating his 79th birthday as he watches “thundering tanks and breathtaking flyovers” which will “roar through our capital city”.
The event has not been without its controversy, as a Politico report reveals it will cost an estimated $25 million to $40 million. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, has voiced concern about the hefty cost, saying he would have “recommended against” it.
NBC News reported, citing military officials, that it may cost as much as $16 million to repair the streets of Washington, D.C. after the parade.
“I think it’s gonna be better and bigger than any parade we’ve ever had in this country,” the president said. “It’s going to be something very, very special. I don’t think we’ve ever done one quite like this.”
Trump’s announcement came as he was embroiled in a vicious tit-for-tat with former key ally Musk, who has now left the government and heavily criticized the spending habits of the administration.
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The pair have been accused by political and media figures of flexing their egos as the unlikely bromance, which saw Musk parachuted into a position of significant influence in the White House, collapsed in spectacular fashion.
“Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!“ the president wrote on Truth Social.
Musk responded with a bombshell claim that Trump was “in the Epstein files”.
The Business mogul said: “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a good day, DJT!” Ten minutes later, he added: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
