No one is eager to celebrate President Donald Trump on his birthday. Not even most of his Republican friends.
Trump has been around for a few weeks Hype June 14th military parade in Washington; Spectacle of fireworks, elevated and tanks intended to honor both the 250th anniversary of the army and his own 79th birthday. he”An unforgettable celebrationand potential protestersVery large force. ”
Most Democrats never showed it. But now, even some Republicans are releasing bail.
Earlier this week, Politics He surveyed 50 GOP lawmakers and said only seven of them plan to stay in DC for the festival. Wall Street Journal Following up, we found out that more Republicans are skipping. You can do it in the meantime $25 and $45 million, all taxpayer-funded.
Wednesday, Huffpost He caught up with almost 12 GOP senators. Many dodged a brief question about whether they were going to be present or how they felt about the costs.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee punted when asked about the price after he said he might “go.” [it]. ”
Others are even dull. “It’s the president’s call, but if it were me, I would save money,” Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy told the Journal. “I mean, we are lions and lions don’t need to say it’s a lion. Everyone knows it’s a lion. So why do we spend 40 million dollars telling people that we are lions?”
Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin –There are no fans of federal spending-I thought he didn’t attend either. “I don’t like to spend on anything,” he said. If you’re splurge, I added, “This is probably not a bad thing.” He didn’t provide many responses to skip.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley gave one of the more troubling answers. He doesn’t plan to go, but he admits that he has no other plans. When asked if he was a fan of the parade, he told the Journal, “Yeah, I love parades.”
Others were more direct. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said he was on a campaign in his hometown for the governor. Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett said Trump’s birthday parade contradicts his daughter’s 18th birthday. Oklahoma Sen. Mark Wayne Mullin said it was his anniversary. “I chose to marry,” he added.
They also skip Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scullyse and Senate Majority Leader John Tune.
West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice said he would not be present. But he added, “I think it’s great to celebrate the army.”
Probably so. But let’s be real. This parade is not about the military. That’s about Trump.
It starts on Saturday 4pmAmericans will have the privilege of watching taxes fund North Korean-style military power shows on the president’s birthday. Trump might argue that it’s for the military, but the timing and tone make it clear: it’s about His parade.
And it seems no one wants it except Trump and his inner circle. According to a new survey from Public Religion Research Institutethree-quarters of Americans (76%) are opposed to spending $45 million on “a massive parade of soldiers, weapons and combat vehicles” to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday and Trump’s birthday. 48% of Americans are “strongly” opposed to the parade, while only 6% are “strongly” and strongly support it.
A solid majority of Democrats (93%) and independents (80%), along with the majority of Republicans (52%), are opposed to the parade. Even among Americans who like Trump, 52% are against the parade.
Simply put, even Trump’s bases don’t buy any hype. And if past events are guides – Amazing voter rate There is little reason to expect this to be different in both his appointment.
It appears that some Republicans on Capitol Hill didn’t even know that the parade was happening.
“Oh, wow, that sounds cool,” said Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Ramis. Until a journalist told her the estimated costs. “Ah, good heaven,” she replied.
Even though the president works to keep as much support as possible, the lineup is thin. According to Politico, the only “yes” RSVPs include Byron Donald in Florida, Marjorie Taylor Green in Georgia, Corey Mills in Florida, and Elise Stefanik in New York.
Trump’s team said he was “Top military leadersand cabinet members like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses and Secretary of Veterans Doug Collins. A White House spokesperson promised a “historic crowd.”
perhaps. But a bigger presence is expected to be on the streets.
That’s what the anti-Trump protesters do Planning meeting In 1,800 communities nationwide under the banner “No Kings Day,” opposing Trump’s authoritarian drift. Organizers say it could be the biggest day of protests since his second term began. Hundreds of thousands To the American streets.
Yes, Trump might get his tank and aviator. But a crowd? Celebration? love? That seems unlikely. For all its glamour and bravery, it is becoming an expensive reminder that even his own party is everywhere else.
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