Former U.S. Military Officials Fear 'Tiananmen Square Moment' At Trump Parade: Report
Former U.S. military officials are 'very worried' about the optics of President Donald Trump's upcoming military parade and highly concerned about a potential 'Tiananmen Square moment,' according to New York Times reporters speaking on Friday's edition of 'The Daily' podcast.
The parade is meant to celebrate the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary but will coincide with Trump's 79th birthday and expected protests across the country — which retired officials believe could be a dangerous combination.
New York Times reporter Michael Barbaro said on Friday that 'showcasing the U.S. military's most fearsome weapons' and soldiers could feel like a threat to the citizens they're meant to protect — rather than to 'our foreign adversaries.'
'Absolutely,' replied Pentagon correspondent Helene Cooper. 'They're very worried about that. And especially in the former uniform world, where these are retired Army officials, retired Marine generals I've been on the phone with, they're really worried about this image.'
'They are also worried about a potential Tiananmen Square moment, where you have a protester standing in front of a tank,' she continued. 'That is not what America is supposed to look like. And this is another one of those potential scary things that we could see on Saturday.'
The parade comes at a precarious time: Trump sent 4,000 U.S. National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles this month amid anti-ICE protests while immigration agents continue to snatch suspected undocumented immigrants away for deportation. The government has stated that the troops' purpose is to protect federal property.
Trump will have tanks rolling through the streets of the nation's capital, just as China did in Beijing during the 1989 protests calling for reform. The Tiananmen Square massacre that followed is best remembered though the image of an unidentified man standing in front of a line of tanks the next day.
The Saturday parade is set to feature nearly 7,000 troops, a multitude of ground vehicles and fighter jet flyovers — a display that could cost as much as $45 million. While Trump has promised a parade 'like no other,' Cooper elaborated on what the imagery of the parade could represent to people.
She said Trump voters who see soldiers in Los Angeles as necessary will be able to 'enjoy' the event, while people who've been victimized by the administration 'might see this as another example of a government that's trying to intimidate' them.
'And the biggest problem with this, according to the military leaders in President Trump's first term, is this risks bringing the military into the middle of partisan politics,' Cooper continued. 'You want an American military that all Americans feel is part of them.'
'You do not want a military that is a Trump military or a MAGA military, or a Democratic military or a Biden military,' she said. 'You want a military that American people feel is a nonpolitical institution.'
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