The State Department’s chief of protocol said Tuesday she expects parade-goers to serenade President Donald Trump with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” this month.
Monica Crowley, a former Fox News pundit whom Trump appointed, admitted on Steve Bannon’s podcast Tuesday that the Washington parade on June 14, officially to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, will also celebrate Trump’s 79th birthday.
“June 14 is a special day,” she said. “Of course, it’s the president’s birthday, so I’m sure the crowd will break out into a ‘Happy Birthday.’ Providential. And it’s also Flag Day, Steve. Meant to be. Hand of God, for sure.”
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The massive parade in the U.S. capital has been criticized by Democrats, both for its estimated cost in the tens of millions, which contradicts the administration’s supposed goal of reducing federal spending, and because it is on Trump’s birthday.
Crowley, 56, promised to make the event a spectacle.
“Personally, I know it means a lot to the president,” she said. “He wanted to organize a 250th birthday badge for the United States Army, the first of the divisions of the U.S. military to be created. And we’re going to throw a national celebration for the Army and the military writ large.”
The estimated cost of the parade is between $25 million and $45 million, excluding the costs of a major cleanup operation and the millions needed for the district’s roads, which are likely to be damaged by M1A1 Abrams tanks rolling across them.
The New York Times reported that there have been discussions about having the Golden Knights, the Army’s parachute team, glide down onto the street and deliver an American flag to Trump.
Crowley made no mention of the report, but said the evening parade will feature “Army and military technology” that goes as far back as the Revolutionary War, in addition to today’s “cutting-edge technology rolling down those streets.”
“We are going to honor America’s veterans, both past and present, including our wounded warriors and our Gold Star families,” she said.
Fireworks will follow the parade, she added, as well as a ceremony in which Trump will oversee the reenlistment of 250 U.S. Army soldiers.
The White House has insisted that this month’s parade is about U.S. soldiers, their families, and American patriotism, but not the president personally. Still, Crowley and other White House aides who discuss the parade cannot help but make the parade about Trump.
“This is an absolute gift, Steve, that America 250 is happening now while President Trump is in office,” Crowley said. “Once again, it really is a gift, and we all want to make sure that we celebrate in a manner that is fitting, not just of this extraordinary president, but of our extraordinary country.”
