Fox News Reporter Says Military Leaders Thought Trump's Parade Idea Was Actually a Joke

Military leaders rolled their eyes at President Donald Trump's plan for a large-scale military parade, complete with marching soldiers, displays of weaponry and even tanks rolling down the street, Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported Wednesday. But a majority had no idea the president was serious.

"Most thought it was a joke at first," Griffin told host Shep Smith. "Many fear that the U.S. will look like the dictators they scoff at around the world."

North Korea, China and Russia have long held military parades as a show of strength to mask the inability of the regimes to provide freedom and stable governance for their citizens, Griffin noted.

But Trump got the idea after seeing militaristic displays in a much friendlier country: France. As Griffin pointed out, though, the French tradition of military parades dates back to Napoleon. 

She also said that the military leaders are worried about the practicality of taking working service members and putting them in a parade.

"They will be taken out of training," she said. "It will be very costly at a time when training budgets are a real issue."

One of the reasons a major display of military force was nixed during the inauguration was that the tank treads would destroy the Pennsylvania Avenue pavement.

Smith, like the military leaders, seemed to find the whole thing amusing. 

"There's a lot to think about," he told Griffin. "Including the D.C. council, this morning, that put a 'no tanks' sign up there."

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