Day 895: Trump’s one-day parade — that he claims is ‘worth it’ — will be far more expensive than entire two-year Mueller probe
Donald Trump and the GOP have long criticized the cost of Robert Mueller’s investigation into serious issues such as election interference and obstruction of justice. This despite the fact that Mueller’s probe paid for itself and then some, thanks to tens of millions of dollars of forfeitures from Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.
However, it turns out that even if Mueller’s investigation didn’t recoup a penny, Trump’s July 4th ego parade will dwarf the cost of the probe. (Again, since they’re not apples to apples, and to reiterate: the former deals with national security and U.S. democracy, while the latter deals with Trump’s desire to celebrate himself.)
Still, Trump was bragging that the cost of a single day’s event would be “very little compared to what it is worth.”
What is a parade with so much pomp worth? National pride, joy? Sure, but that could all be accomplished without the presence of tanks and flyovers, which are adding substantial costs to the event, even as the White House is trying to hide the final dollar figure.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it would suspend operations at Reagan National Airport for 1.5 hours for Trump’s speech and flyovers. The aerial program will feature the jetliner used for Air Force One and aircraft representing all five military services, including the Navy’s Blue Angels, said Jeffrey Reinbold, a superintendent of the National Park Service.
A military official told NPR it could also include F-35s and F-18s. And there will be military tanks parked along the National Mall, Trump said.
University of Denver professor Andrew Sherbo, who tracks such figures, said the Boeing 747 used for Air Force One could come at a cost of $205,000 an hour (the jetliner is only considered Air Force One when the president is aboard).
The cost per flying hour for the F-35 can be $20,000 or more, according to Department of Defense comptroller figures.
The Blue Angels could cost a more reasonable $6,000 per day, since air shows are tied to their training, said Sherbo, a former Pentagon official who now teaches finance.
Moving tanks from Georgia to Washington is expected to cost nearly $1 million on its own. The White House is already raiding the National Park Service to help pay for the grandiose event.
Similar parades were previously estimated to cost over $90 million dollars, or nearly three times as expensive as Mueller’s probe.
895 days in, 567 to go
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