The U.S. Navy is reportedly planning a lavish parade of its own after a multimillion-dollar military parade earlier this year left President Donald Trump feeling flat.
Trump hosted the military’s largest parade in decades in Washington, D.C., on June 14 to mark 250 years of the U.S. Army—and also, conveniently, his own 79th birthday.
As well as “No Kings” protests against Trump across the country to coincide with the military anniversary event that cost taxpayers $30 million, footage of “lackluster” soldiers marching out of step went viral. Photos suggested that the president rested his eyes at one point during his birthday party. Crowd figures were also less than impressive.
A new report in The Wall Street Journal has intel from the president’s administration that a do-over parade could be in the works—this time taking place at sea.
Trump told his aides that he was disappointed with the marching in the June event, according to the Journal, and was hoping the Navy could deliver a grander celebration.
The president is reportedly “hoping for a shimmering spectacle with seacraft,” The Journal noted.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to the Daily Beast, “Through the America 250 celebrations and beyond, President Trump is rightfully restoring patriotism across the administration and giving our brave men and women in uniform the honor they deserve.”
Kelly added, “Only the anti-American activists at the Daily Beast could possibly take issue with celebrating our U.S. Navy’s 250th Anniversary – sad!”
An array of events for the anniversary will take place over October and November, mainly in Philadelphia, including a gala ball and ship parades.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House in regards to President Trump’s possible appearance at the events.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung claimed “over 250,000″ patriots turned up for the June 14 parade, but significant gaps in the crowd suggested attendance fell far short of predictions.
Meanwhile, ‘No Kings’ protests around the country on Trump’s birthday became one of the biggest-ever single-day protests in America, drawing over 4 million people in 820 locations.
Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel aired footage of what looked like the president nodding off during his parade. “There’s Sleepy Don taking it all in,” he said. “And in fairness, that’s as close as he gets to be able to sleep with his wife, so he took the opportunity.”
