Democrat mocks Trump’s military parade plans with photo of inauguration: Trump parade ‘not very well attended the first time’

A Democratic lawmaker has mocked President Donald Trump for his reported interest in a military parade, trolling the President for his Inauguration Day crowd turnout.

Rep Rick Larsen tweeted in response to recent reports that Mr Trump has been asking for a military parade in Washington — an event that would be rare for the United States, which hasn’t conducted one in decades.

“There was already a #TrumpParade in DC. Not very well attended the first time, would be a waste of Pentagon time and resources the second time,” Mr Larsen tweeted alongside a photo of Mr Trump’s inauguration parade, which showed several rows of bleachers empty as the motorcade passed by.

The Washington Post recently reported that Mr Trump has asked the Pentagon to take a look into holding a military parade. The White House subsequently confirmed the report, as did the Pentagon.

Critics of such a parade say that it would cost millions of dollars to conduct a parade like that, which Mr Trump has indicated he would like to see along Pennsylvania Avenue, which connects the White House to the Capitol building. And, the millions of dollars in expenses would come at a time when Republicans are seeking more funding for the military.

Mr Trump has frequently discussed the idea of having a military parade during his presidency, and was reportedly inspired when he attended one in France last year.

Mr Larsen was referring to a running joke sparked by former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer when he said during his first briefing that Mr Trump had received “the largest global audience to ever witness the inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.”

The statement was followed by ridicule from people — including a government agency — who made side-by-side photo comparisons of the crowd Mr Trump drew to that of his predecessor Barack Obama. Mr Obama’s crowd, in this photos, was clearly larger.