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GOP politicians find they have better things to do than attend Trump's parade [1]
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Date: 2025-06-11
What if they gave a parade and no one showed up? Trump is celebrating his 79th birthday this Saturday with a $45 million boondoggle disguised as a tribute to the US Army on its 250th birthday. Only a MAGA could think that a man who ran away from a fight is the right person to host a tribute to those who did not.
But not every MAGA politician, or even a majority, is showing up. Politico surveyed 50 GOP Congresspeople. Only seven said they would attend. If that ratio holds, 235 of the 273 Republican Senators and Representatives will be anywhere but in attendance at Trump’s knob-polishing.
Politico explained it thus :
Among the 50 GOP lawmakers surveyed by POLITICO, only seven said they planned to stay in Washington this weekend for the festivities. Those begging off include members of the Republican leadership in both chambers. The chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, the top congressional officials overseeing the military, are skipping Trump’s pageantry, which includes a flyover of vintage and contemporary warplanes. Instead, they’ll attend a different air show — the annual defense industry confab in Paris.
Who can blame them? Who wouldn’t pick a free, all-expenses, taxpayer-paid trip to the City of Lights to be feted by deep-pocketed military industrialists over the chance to sit in the rain and stand in the shadow of a draft dodger stealing other people’s valor?
A gratis junket is a particularly enticing proposition for the House members. They have next week off . Let the champagne flow. They’ll enjoy a comfortable five-star, Gallic hotel bed to sleep off the hard work of accepting bribes.
Politico’s reporters revealed the planned no-shows.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY).
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said he’ll be back in Alabama campaigning for governor.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) said it’s his anniversary, and “I choose to be married.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) said the event conflicts with his daughter’s 18th birthday.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) said he’s a no but added that doesn’t “mean that I’m against it.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a former Air Force reservist, said Tuesday he’s not planning to attend, though he left open the possibility.
Sen Todd Young (R-IN), a veteran.
Sen Rick Scott (R-FL), a veteran.
Tim Sheehy (R-MT), a veteran.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast (R-FL), another veteran, said Tuesday he’s unsure whether he’ll attend.
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) said he won’t attend, though his home is less than a two-hour drive from DC.
House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) said he’s heading home.
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) said, “I’ll be at the air show.”
House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL) confirmed that’s where he’ll be, too.
The House’s profile in cowardice, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) did not respond to a request for comment on his plans. So that’s a “No.”
Not to worry. Trump may not get the cream of the GOP political crop. But the dregs will be well represented. The article continues:
Among those attending will be some of Trump’s most devoted House supporters, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. “Yes, of course,” she said Tuesday. “I’m going to be there for the 250th anniversary of the Army.” MAGA stalwarts Byron Donalds of Florida, Elise Stefanik of New York and Cory Mills of Florida also said they would attend, along with Reps. Rich McCormick of Georgia, John McGuire of Virginia and Lisa McClain of Michigan.
Of course, the tinpot wannabe autocrat’s propaganda mill is ignoring the defections. And slinging shit. The report adds:
The White House is shrugging off the absences. An official granted anonymity to describe plans for the event said senior military leaders and at least 15 Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, are expected to attend. “President Trump looks forward to a historic crowd at the Army Birthday Parade, where he will be joined by top military leaders, administration officials, congressional representatives, and most importantly, thousands of patriotic Americans to celebrate 250 years of honor, courage, and sacrifice by our United States military,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.
No matter what happens, right-wing media will call it DC’s greatest military spectacle ever. They will lie about the size and enthusiasm of the crowd. And portray Trump as the most outstanding American war leader since George Washington taught Abraham Lincoln how to slice bread.
Regardless, even the most sycophantic spin will not create a spectacle to match the 150,000 Union soldiers who marched in the 1865 two-day Grand Review of the Armies, celebrating the defeat of the last serious attempt to break up the Union. Nor will the crowd have the reason to crejoice, as the crowds that attended parades honoring American victories in WWI, WWII, and the 1991 Gulf War did.
I wish the US Army a Happy Birthday. It is not their fault they have had to carry out missions based on a lie (Iraq War) or that, in hindsight, were fatally pointless (Vietnam). But I regret that the celebration of their nativity will be co-opted by the biggest chickenshit to ever dishonor the nation. Dear God, even Richard Nixon served honorably.
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