After seeing France's military parade in July, President Donald Trump wants an even grander one for the U.S.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Trump during the country's Bastille Day celebrations.
Fast-forward to Monday, when Trump met with Macron in New York, and Trump was still admiring that French military parade.
Trump said: "It was one of the greatest parades I've ever seen. ... It was military might, and I think a tremendous thing for France."
Since that July visit, he's been seriously thinking of staging a military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., on the Fourth of July.
But even before his inauguration, Trump had talked about showing off the military.
He told the Washington Post in January: "Being a great president has to do with a lot of things, but one of them is being a great cheerleader for the country. And we're going to show the people as we build up our military, we're going to display our military."
There hasn't been a large-scale military parade through the streets of Washington since 1991. That parade celebrated the end of the Gulf War — though it did have some critics.
Some argued the parade glorified militarism. And though 200,000 people came to watch, that number was far lower than the 1 million predicted spectators.
The parade also cost over $12 million at the time. Adjusted for inflation, the cost today would be over $21 million.
Trump said he and his staff are working on plans for a military parade and that it could happen as early as the next Fourth of July.
