Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said Tuesday President Trump was “truly Napoleon-like” after it was revealed the administration was brainstorming ideas for a military parade in Washington, D.C.
“I was stunned by it to be quite honest,” Speier told CNN following initial reports. “I mean, we have a Napoleon in the making here, and I believe that we have so many issues around the world in terms of preparing for wars that are ongoing. And wars that may be, you know, in the offing because of what’s happening in North Korea that I would say that it’s really a waste of money.”
Trump has been vocal about wanting such a parade for months, but his request during a Jan. 18 meeting with Pentagon officials was viewed as an order to plan the event.
The parade was first conceived after the 2017 Bastille Day celebration in France, which Trump attended as a guest of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Speier, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Americans “should be offended” by Trump’s “need to always be showy.”
“It’s not our style. It’s not the way we do business, and I really object to it,” the California Democrat added.
Trump aides are considering Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veterans Day as possible dates for the parade.
Napoleon Bonaparte, the French statesman who lived in the 1700s through the early 1800s, is often remembered as one of the most successful commanders in history and an example of demonstrating French military might.
