President Trump has been talking up his military parade, but a number of top Republican lawmakers say they will miss the Saturday spectacle. The Wall Street Journal spoke to a number of them, and most claimed other commitments or simply declined to say why they couldn't come. At least one, Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, did have things to say about the cost of the parade, though it's not clear whether he's planning to attend or not:
- "It's the president's call, but if it were me, I'd save the money. I think the United States of America is the most powerful country in all human history. I mean, we're a lion, and a lion doesn't have to tell you it's a lion. Everybody knows it's a lion. So why spend the 40-plus million dollars to tell people that we're a lion?"
Politico reports that of the 50 GOP lawmakers it spoke to, just seven (which it referred to as "MAGA stalwarts" like Marjorie Taylor Greene) plan to attend the parade. Among the non-attendees are the chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees and the top congressional officials overseeing the military. But the White House appears unconcerned, stating that senior military leaders and more than a dozen Cabinet members will be there. At least one senator was somehow unaware the parade was even happening: "Oh, wow, that sounds cool," said Cynthia Lummis when asked about it. Nationwide protests are also planned for Saturday, NBC News reports. (More parade stories.)
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