For me, the cancellation of this parade raises a serious question about who’s running the White House:
My question is :WHO made the decision to postpone/cancel the parade,and how did they convince Trump?
Trump ordered the whole thing only because of his ego.
He saw the French troops marching their traditional parade past President Macron, and Trump had an instinctive gut reaction–that he had have the same glorification for himself.So he demanded that the Pentagon put on a parade,even though the top brass opposed the idea.
But Trump’s ego conquers all other considerations.
People tried to explain to him that it won’t look good, for a lot of reasons. But he refused to listen.
Because Trump’s ego conquers all.
And now, the parade is being cancelled.
What happened to Trump’s ego?
How did he react to being put down?
And very importantly: who on the White House staff has enough influence on Trump to convince him to listen to reason, and not his ego?
And even more importantly: does this staff person have influence on other decisions Trump makes?
Could there be a sane person somewhere on his staff who has real power and the ability to make Trump ignore his own thoughtless reactions?
Someone who carefully stays out of the public eye, and who knows how to speak to Trump in some kind of secret language (similar to child psychology, maybe?)…that convinces Trump to listen to rational advice ?
From my own experience, I can say firmly and positively that there is nothing that incurs the animosity of military folks more than having to march in a pointless fucking parade. First, there is the run-up of endless marching drills and endless hours standing on a parade field for uniform inspections. Then there is waiting even more hours for transportation to the assembly point, where you stand for even more hours waiting for the appointed marching time. Then you get to walk, usually at least 2-3 times the length of the march, in painfully uncomfortable dress shoes. Then comes the ride back to the base(s) so you can go about your normal day. And all so some grandiose prick can get his ego stroked.
If Trump wants a parade to honor the military, he can get some cardboard, make himself a sign that says “I support the troops” and march down Pennsylvania Avenue waving the sign.
That would be a parade honoring the military.
A parade where Trump makes the troops march down Pennsylvania avenue saluting him is a parade honoring Trump.