Nearly a dozen Republican senators reacted with visible discomfort Wednesday as they snapped, stared into space and retreated into elevators, rather than face questions about President Donald Trump's $45 million military parade, HuffPost reported.
Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) wasn’t having it.
“Nope,” he said when asked if he planned on attending the Saturday spectacle, which is set to include warplanes, tanks and a multimillion-dollar military parade on the National Mall. When pressed on the cost, the Indiana lawmaker pivoted.
“I’m focused on the trillions right now, which is the reconciliation bill,” Young said. But when HuffPost pointed out he hadn’t answered the question, Young snapped: “I answered the question I wanted to answer!”
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) said she wouldn’t be in Washington, D.C., then gazed blankly into a Senate elevator as its doors closed after remarking, “But I wish I was.”
Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) stayed silent for eight seconds, grinned, and slipped into another elevator when asked his thoughts on the parade on Wednesday, HuffPost reported.
“No comment,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said. “No comment.” While Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) simply said she doesn’t “do hallway interviews.” HuffPost pointed out in its report Wednesday that “most conversations with the press happen in Senate hallways.”
Saturday’s parade – an event that will honor both the Army’s 250th anniversary and Trump's own 79th birthday – will feature thousands of troops, tanks and aircraft rolling through the streets of D.C.. While Republicans have long railed against government waste, especially in the face of recent DOGE-related efforts, few in the GOP have publicly criticized the upcoming display.
Only Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) spoke out among the group of 14 GOP senators the outlet spoke to – not just because of the steep price – but also because he doesn’t consider “the symbolism of tanks and missiles” to be representative of what the United States is all about.