Trump's plan to include 'tanks and missile launchers in inaugural parade was vetoed'
- Member of transition team thought about throwing a 'Red Square/North Korea-style parade', a source said Thursday
- But the military refused in part because they were concerned about the image of equipment on Pennsylvania Avenue, source added
- Another reason for the refusal, according to the planning insider, was that heavy tanks could destroy Washington, DC's roads
- Donald Trump said in an interview published Thursday he intends to show off the country's military
- The military 'may be flying over New York City and Washington, DC, for parades', the president-elect said
Donald Trump's transition team thought about having tanks and missile launchers in the mogul's inaugural parade, a source said Thursday.
A member of staff brought up the idea of a military parade similar to displays of power seen in Russia and North Korea, an insider involved in inaugural planning told the Huffington Post.
But the military turned down the idea in part because they were concerned about the image of tanks and missile launchers parading down Pennsylvania Avenue, the source said. They also feared the heavy equipment might damage the roads in Washington, DC.
The president-elect has vowed to show off the country's military in parades - and even though his inaugural march might not feature heavy machinery, it will involve more military honors than usual.
A member of Donald Trump's team thought about having tanks and missile launchers in the president-elect's inaugural parade, an insider said Thursday. Trump is pictured with his wife Melania arriving for his pre-inaugural concert
'They were legit thinking Red Square/North Korea-style parade,' an insider with knowledge of inaugural preparations told the Huffington Post.
It seemed to make sense that the military would refuse out of concerns for the city's roads, according to a Department Of Defense official.
'I could absolutely see structural support being a reason [not to use tanks],' the official said.
Trump's inaugural parade will still have five military flyovers, a Pentagon spokesman told the website.
Each flyover will represent a branch of the forces - the Air Force, the Navy, the Army, the Marines and the Coast Guard.
The military refused in part because heavy tanks could destroy the roads in DC, the source said. An M4A3 Sherman tank is pictured in a file photo being brought for an exhibition
Politician Stephen Kerrigan, who worked on both of Obama's inaugurations, found the idea of having five flyovers shocking. 'It seems unnecessary and the optics don't seem appropriate,' he said. 'It's very Red Square.'
Trump however is determined to show off the country's military during his presidency.
'Being a great president has to do with a lot of things, but one of them is being a great cheerleader for the country,' he told the Washington Post.
'And we're going to show the people as we build up our military, we're going to display our military.
'That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, DC, for parades.
'I mean, we're going to be showing our military.'
Friday's military flyovers will serve as training for pilots who need to fly a required number of hours per month.
The team thought about having a parade such as the ones organized in Russia (file picture) as massive displays of military power, according to the insider
North Korea also regularly organizes military parades (one of them is pictured in a file photo) was a way to showcase their armed forces to the world
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