Pentagon halts Trump military parade after news report shows 666% cost jump

Emperor Donald will be super bummed. His $92 million parade is not happening.

The Pentagon announced Thursday that there will be NO military parade in November, as originally requested by Donald Trump. A spokesperson said the military parade proposed by the President for Veterans Day 2018 will be delayed indefinitely.

The statement says the Pentagon and White House "have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019."

From USA Today:

The estimated cost for President Donald Trump's November military parade in Washington has jumped $80 million, The Associated Press reported Thursday citing an unnamed Pentagon official.

But a Defense Department spokesman told USA TODAY the finals plans for the parade have not yet been approved and that costs could still change.

Last month, the Military Times reported that initial estimates of the parade's cost were $12 million. The official – who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans that haven’t been released yet – told AP the new projection is $92 million. That represents an increase of 666 percent.

About $50 million would cover Pentagon costs for equipment, personnel and other expenses for the parade, the official said. The rest would be handled by other agencies, including security costs.

Pentagon spokesman Jamie Davis cautioned that "planning for the Military Veterans Day Parade continues and final details are still being developed. Any cost estimates are pre-decisional."

[source, art: @beschizza]