Just before the opening of the Olympic Winter Games in South Korea, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un held a giant military parade in Pyongyang. Kim's parade sure seemed similar to the one President Donald Trump described he wants to hold in Washington. Trump seems to be the only one blind to the symbolism that a Kim style military parades conjures up. A-list dictators like Hitler and Stalin set the bar for brute force pageantry that D-list dictators like Kim and dictator wannabe Trump strive to emulate.
The United States certainly has had military parades in the past. Most have been called victory parades tied to the end of conflicts. Occasionally, the military has made appearances in inaugural parades but none have been put on for the mere purpose of a display of brute force which seems to be the impetus of parade Trump.
Trump's idea for such a display is consistent with his persona of touting the gaudy opulence he's built into his private life in places like Trump Tower, Mar a Lago, and his private jet. It seems only natural that he wants to show off his big nuclear button so he can prove to the world it exists. Trump's behavior could be classified as the man baby version of object permanence.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower rejected the idea of a brute force display to counter the Soviet Union. Eisenhower said, "absolutely not, we are the pre-eminent power on Earth. For us to try to imitate what the Soviets are doing in Red Square would make us look weak." Eisenhower was a five star general that led one of the largest fighting forces in the world. His experience influenced the perspective from which he navigated his Commander In Chief role in the White House.
Trump never served a day in the military but now finds himself in charge of a staggering military arsenal. Rather than be self aware of the contrast and behave appropriately, Trump's narcissism drives a need to display himself as the embodiment of U.S. military power. There is no better way to put himself on display than by having the United States military parade before him in full regalia with tanks and missiles to boot. The picture is nothing short of Trump's Pride Parade.
Support for the idea of the parade has been anywhere from mixed to tepid. The justification used by most agreeing with the President is that it offers a way to show support for veterans and to boost recruitment. With an undetermined price tag (the Gulf War victory parade cost $21 million in today's dollars), there are likely better ways to help those who serve. Wider and faster access to mental and physical health care come to mind as does higher pay for active duty service personnel.
The reality is: the parade isn't for veterans. It's all about Trump and has nothing to do with making America great.
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