CNN Host Says Trump's Military Parade Seems Inspired By 'Strongmen' Leaders Like Putin

The president is reportedly planning a four-mile military parade to coincide with his 79th birthday and the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary on June 14.

President Donald Trump’s reported four-mile-long military parade plan feels inspired “by some of the strongmen” he has praised in the past, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, CNN’s Erin Burnett said on the latest edition of “OutFront.”

“Trump is busy, said to be planning his own military parade, a pricey one, something he had pushed for during his first term in the White House, had to abandon though because the price tag was nearly $100 million at that time,” Burnett said Monday.

“The parade this year would fall on his birthday, June 14, as well as the Army’s 250th anniversary and on U.S. Flag Day,” she continued about the 78-year-old. “Apparently, we understand, it would include soldiers, armored vehicles, tactical vehicles and more.”

The Washington City Paper reported Sunday that the display would flow from Arlington, Virginia, into Washington, D.C., and that Takis Karantonis, the Arlington County Board chair, received a “heads up” Friday from the White House about the tentative event.

“A celebration that is much more familiar in settings outside the United States, whether that be China, Russia or North Korea — put on by some of the strongmen that Trump has said that he admires,” said Burnett in describing the parade.