Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) fully approved of President Donald Trump‘s military parade that took place on Saturday, saying it celebrated “the very best of us.”
The parade, which marked the 250th anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Army., featured more than 6,000 soldiers marching down the streets of Washington, D.C., along with approximately 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft. It also included paratroopers jumping out of planes and fireworks to cap the event.
Fetterman backed the event, which he called an “appropriate” celebration, in a post on X.
“This parade is comprised of our sons, daughters, mothers and fathers — the very best of us. Regardless of your politics, it’s appropriate to celebrate the 250 years of sacrifice, dedication and service,” he posted alongside the replay of the nearly three-hour-long event.
The Democratic senator’s approval came after Trump faced criticism from both sides of the aisle for his decision to hold the event.
Days before the anniversary celebration, Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and John Kennedy (R-LA) expressed concern about the cost, which is estimated to fall between $25 million and $40 million.
“I wouldn’t spend the money if it were me,” Kennedy said. “The United States of America is the most powerful country in all of human history. We’re a lion, and a lion doesn’t have to tell you it’s a lion. Everybody else in the jungle knows, and we’re a lion.”
Paul also had reservations about the parade’s imagery.
“Never been a big fan of goose-stepping soldiers in big tanks and missiles rolling down the street,” Paul said. “So if you asked me, I wouldn’t have done it.”
On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a well-known Trump critic, previously said that he was “horrified” by what he called Trump’s “military vanity parade.”
“It just shows how much danger there is from this now unrestrained executive,” he said on the Lovett or Leave It podcast in early June.
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Despite the bipartisan backlash before the event, it proved to be a huge success, as thousands decked out in patriotic and MAGA-themed garb gathered in the nation’s capital for the first military parade there since 1991.
In an apparent justification of the parade on Saturday, Trump told the crowd, “Every other country celebrates their victories — it’s about time America did, too.”
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
