Trump Proposes North Korea-Style Military Parade Down Pennsylvania Avenue On Independence Day

Taking a page from the playbook of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he may be in favor of holding a military parade on Pennsylvania Avenue on Independence Day next year.

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Sitting next to French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said, “We may do something like that on July 4th in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue.”

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Trump said:

It was one of the greatest parades I had ever seen. It was two hours on the button and it was military might, and I think a tremendous thing for France and the spirit of France. People don’t know what great warriors they are in France, but when you see that and you see all the victories, it was a tremendous thing. And to a large extent, because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July 4th in Washington down Pennsylvania. I don’t know, we’re going to have to try to top it, but we had a lot of planes going over. We had a lot of military might. It was really a beautiful thing to see. … So we’re actually thinking about Fourth of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military strength. You know, we’re spending this year $700 billion – more than we’ve ever spent – on the military.

While this type of talk is consistent with Trump’s effort to paint himself as a tough guy, it only reaffirms the reality that he admires the tactics of authoritarian figures like Kim Jong-un. In many ways, he aspires to be a leader like the one in North Korea.

But it also underscores just how simple-minded Trump’s view of foreign policy is. Instead of trying to thoughtfully grapple with complicated foreign policy issues, like North Korea’s growing nuclear threat, he truly believes international affairs are all about who has the biggest bombs and best military displays.

What the ignorant commander-in-chief doesn’t understand, however, is that becoming more like North Korea won’t help the U.S. avert a nuclear war. Instead, it will take a cool head with a firm understanding of these complicated issues in order to solve it.

Trump – a man who views issues of war and peace like a third-grade boy – has already proved that he’s unequipped to be that leader.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.