Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is the rare Republican to admit he was not a fan of Trump’s military-slash-birthday parade.Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/ZUMA
Many Republicans quietly but noticeably skipped Trump’s military-slash-birthday parade on Saturday. According to a survey Politico did earlier this week of 50 congressional Republicans, only seven said they planned to stay in Washington, DC, for the weekend to attend the festivities.
One Republican—Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)—was more direct about his opposition to the event. “I just never liked the idea of the parade because I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, and the only parades I can remember are Soviet parades, for the most part, or North Korean parades,” Paul said on Meet the Press Sunday.
“The parades I remember from our history were different,” Paul continued. “We never glorified weapons so much. And I know [Trump] means well. I don’t think he means for any of this to be depicted in another fashion. But I’m just not a big fan. Then there is the cost. I mean, we’re $2 trillion in the hole and just an additional cost like this, I’m not for it.”
Indeed, Army officials have estimated the parade would cost between $25 and $45 million, but the final price tag has not yet been publicly confirmed. Videos from the event show Army tanks rolling through the streets as spectators watch from the sidelines and, in some sections, sparsely populated bleachers.
That the libertarian-ish Paul would vocally oppose the parade is not especially shocking. He has been vocal about his opposition to Trump’s tariff policy as well as the current version of the massive budget reconciliation bill Trump is trying to push through Congress, which led to Trump blasting him in a pair of Truth Social posts earlier this month. “Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas,” Trump wrote in one post. “His ideas are actually crazy (losers!).” On Meet the Press Sunday, Paul said he’s “not an absolute no” on the budget bill.
Spokespeople for the White House did not immediately respond to questions from Mother Jones.