Trump's Staff Wanted Military Vehicles for the Inaugural Parade, Emails Reveal

By Drew Schwartz, VICE

22 March 17

resident Trump's transition staff was "seriously considering" putting the US's military prowess on display at his inaugural parade by featuring heavy military vehicles, according to new emails obtained by the Huffington Post.

About a month before the inaugural parade, Trump's staff asked the Pentagon for photos of tactical military vehicles—like tanks and missile launchers—that they might feature in the ceremony. In an internal email, obtained by the Post via a FOIA request, a Pentagon staffer expressed reservations about sending 100,000-pound killing machines through the heart of the nation's capital.

"I explained that such support would be out of guidelines," the staffer, whose name was redacted from the emails, wrote. "I'm extremely reluctant to produce an improvised list of military vehicles that we might be held to."

The emails support a January report from the Post, in which several sources said that Trump's staff was trying to feature heavy military equipment for the parade. One source involved in the planning told the Post that the team was "legit thinking [of a] Red Square/North Korea-style parade." A Trump aide, however, "offered an incredulous off-the-record denial" about the request for military equipment. 

Ultimately, though, the request never got approved. Instead, the president's planning committee settled for flyovers from the Air Force, the Army, the Marines, the Navy, and the Coast Guard. But, due to inclement weather conditions, the Pentagon had to scrap that plan too. Sad!