Trump considering holding DC military parade on July 4th

President Trump on Monday told French President Emmanuel Macron he is considering having a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., on Independence Day after watching the Bastille Day celebrations on a recent trip to France.

In remarks alongside Macron during a New York trip to the United Nations, Trump marveled at the “military might” on display in Paris for Bastille Day and said seeing the parade inspired him to do something similar in the U.S.

“Because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July 4th in Washington down Pennsylvania [Avenue],” Trump said. “We’re thinking … of having a really great parade, to show our military strength.”

Trump also noted that the U.S. spent over $700 billion on military spending this year.

“[It’s] more than we’ve ever spent on the military, which is good news for you, because we’re friends,” Trump told Macron.

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The Washington Post reported in July that Trump “eagerly” watched the Bastille Day parade, standing and applauding soliders as they marched past the viewing area where he watched with Macron, his wife and first lady Melania Trump.

Trump previously expressed an interest in including military vehicles in his inaugural parade. The Huffington Post reported in March that emails were exchanged between the Presidential Inaugural Committee and Pentagon officials asking for photographs of “military tactical vehicles” that could be used.

Pentagon officials expressed reluctance about the plan, and Trump inauguration officials ultimately scrapped the plan.

“They were legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade,” an inauguration team source told The Huffington Post.

Five military flyovers were planned — one for each branch of the armed services ― for the inaugural parade, but all were canceled due to poor weather.