'Tanks' a lot: Trump 4th of July celebration isn't first time armored vehicles have rumbled into Washington
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Tanks rumbled down Pennsylvania Avenue for Dwight Eisenhower's inaugural parade in 1953. John F. Kennedy deployed them eight years later – as well as missiles. Even a 1939 visit by England's King George VI prompted a splashy display of armored hardware rolling through the nation's capital.
President Donald Trump's demand that tanks be part of his "Salute to America" on the National Mall Thursday to celebrate the 4th of July has prompted critics, including Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, to call it a jingoistic display befitting a despot.
But tanks have long been a part of national moments of celebration in Washington, although mainly associated with presidential inaugurations and military victory parades.
The last ones thundered through the nation's capital in 1991 when the nation commemorated victories over Iraq.
Here are several occasions where tanks were part of a celebration in the nation's capital:
Royal welcome
On June 8, 1939, Washington and President Franklin D. Roosevelt held a welcoming parade for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Their procession was led by a small group of tanks.
First and second Eisenhower inaugurals
JFK inauguration
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USA Today video in article.
I myself do not feel they are needed, but with all the other zaniness going on around us I really do not care that much.
More displeasure over Mr. Trump hijacking the event I believe, the tanks just added fuel to it.
Some Democrat candidates have been in full-blown speculation mode in order to score political points. Funny stuff!
Some woman is being interviewed from the rally site and she says everything Trump says is wonderful and this show is only to "unite the country". That is how dense these people are. Trump's approval in the latest Gallup poll is 41%, basically where it has been for 2 1/2 years. Thats all there is folks.
Thanks for dropping another opinion comment, John.
There seems to be alot of them, but they don't mean squat.
IMO, the only time opinions have worth is when they're supported by unbiased facts.
Please support your opinion with unbiased facts.
With pleasure.
Time to discuss the seeded topic and not derail another of my seeds, dulay. Only warning.
Your definition is incomplete.
Someone might have the opinion that Miley Cyrus is a beautiful woman. The opinion is not "worthless" just because it can't be objectively proven true. The opinion might cause someone to take a second look at Miley Cyrus, and that person change their opinion or form one about Miley Cyrus. And so on.
Change Miley Cyrus looks to some politicians behavior and you can see that opinions are not always worthless if they are not supported by provable fact.
My question is a direct reply to YOUR comment. Hardly a derail, especially since you've posted multiple comments dismissing the worth of other member's opinions.
As for your reply, it's an utter fail.
Nowhere does it state WHY you think that:
In fact your link actually cites the 'worth' of opinions, above and beyond 'unbiased facts':
Your link refutes your own posit.
IMPASSE.
IMPASSE.
So you think a 4th of July parade somehow divides the country? I'd say that's by your choice, not by anything the parade does.
Indeed.
The Betsy Ross flag was prominent during Obama's inaugurations but wasn't an issue. Imagine that. I wonder why Nike and MSM never asked Kap about that.
I remember our Bicentennial celebrations very well. No one freaked out over US flags, parades, and military tanks.
Gee, I wonder what's changed since last year, or the year before that?
Got any idea Tex?
Au contraire. The vitriol was at it's height the first half of 2017 yet Trump seemed to manage to keep his ass off of the National Mall during the 2017 4th of July celebration. Of course, that was before Trump had the tingle go up his leg when he saw the pomp of Bastille Day. Then he just HAD to have him a Military somethin', somethin' in DC. But to his pouty despair, not even his minions could figure out how to justify the millions of dollars it would cost up front and the damage that tanks rumbling down Pennsylvania Ave. would cause.
As for it being 'intolerable' now, that's laughable. What would Trump play off of if not for criticism from the left? His own party are too timid to make a peep, except for Amash. Of course, then the GOP shunned him...
She was reflecting the pride millions of we Americans feel towards our country and our president.
and you chose the outlier poll. Trump’s realclearpolitics ave is 44%. Higher than Obama was at the same point (Obama was at 38%)
False.
July 3rd, 2012, Obama's approval rating was 47.7.
In fact, Obama's LOWEST approval rating was 40.1.
Repent.
We all know that if it were Obama that did the same exact thing as Trump, the loon left would be out in droves expressing their love and admiration of how their messiah would want to showcase our military, and would criticize every previous President for not having done the same.
Unfortunately, Obama hates/hated our military, so he would have never have done such a thing. Besides, he decimated the military by cutting it to the point where deploying ships and units had to borrow from those that are not deploying, or had just returned.
You know, a couple tanks and a couple Bradleys is not a show of force. There is no threat of a military parade. Either there wasnt enough time or the Pentagon didnt want to cooperate. If it was up to Trump there would have been 100 tanks.
Its not the number of tanks or lack of number of tanks. The whole thing is a tv show to praise Trump. We already have a perfectly good 4th of July celebration at that same national mall. Trump doesnt like that one because they wont let him come there and preen.
Thank you for making another opinion comment that's not supported by facts.
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And Trump's approval ratings are close to 50% and climbing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Donald Trump's job approval rating, which has been fluctuating between 40% and 43% since early May, was 41% in the second half of June, and includes 29% who strongly approve. Fifty-four percent of Americans disapprove of the president's performance, including 44% who do so strongly.
So what? Obama's approval during the same time period was at 46 and dropped to 40 only 6 weeks later. I don't remember liberals screaming that the President was a failure because of his low approvals.
It's just a 4th of July parade. With all the hysteria, you'd think Trump was heading a column of nazis to take over the country. What do you think is going to happen? You think a tank is going to blow up a kindergarten? It's a celebration of America on America's birthday in America's capitol. Anything else you see comes from your own imagination.
Actually, Trump's ego play has nothing to do with the 4th of July parade in DC. That started at 11:45, Trump doesn't start his day that early.
Trump is surrounding himself with partisans and uniforms for a photo op and campaign rally speech. That's not leadership.
That IS shocking. I've never seen a politician do that! AMAZING!
/s
And it’s a speech that’s a tribute to America, not to himself.
But ... but ... but ... patriotic US citizens and legal immigrants are not allowed to celebrate our nation's birthday ... because ... TDS reigns!
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John Adams on future celebrations of the 4th of July
“I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. -- I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. -- Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.”
Original manuscript: Adams, John. Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776, "Had a Declaration..." . 3 pages. Original manuscript from the Adams Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Trump had nothing to do with our patriotic 4th of July Parades in Huntington Beach CA where we love the Military
Hmm, that “right wing dictator”Eisenhower had military tanks pass in review at his inauguration. How did ever survive it?
We were at war in Korea when Eisenhower was inaugurated.
The comparison is ridiculous.
CBS is reporting that the crowd at the Trump show is not very big.
It's been raining though so he has a good excuse.
The President is getting great applause for his very patriotic speech
great job Mr President
I watched the "show" on CBSN, which had no commentary of any kind, simply showing Trump's speech and the singers.
What this thing proved more than ever is that Donald Trump is the worst public speaker to ever hold high office in America. He managed to make the story of the military down through American history sound disjointed, dull, and boring.
This show would have been far far far better if Trump had sat there while a professional narrator or actor read the words that accompanied the flyovers. He simply butchered the transcript they gave him to read. Of course if he just sat there listening along with everyone else the event wouldnt have been about him (which was the whole point of it after all).
The crowd seemed confused by his speaking as well. There were numerous times Trump said something that was supposed to get a crowd reaction, but didnt , and he had to pause to let the crowd know it was supposed to cheer.
This thing was kind of the wet noodle of 4th of July patriotic displays.
Trump looks sad and disappointed at the small crowd size. He sounds like a robot, so the crowd doesn’t know when to clap. Lots of awkward pauses. And the glass around Trump is wet so you can’t even see him clearly. This is pathetic and embarrassing. This event is an epic failure.
Well, contrary to Trump haters' dreary, dismal, downer opinions here, "Salute to America" was a spectacular success. A unifying speech by the POTUS that covered our nation's history, spectacular fly-overs, and wonderful patriotic music.
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