this post was submitted on 06 May 2025
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politics

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In an exclusive interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump also outlined a White House renovation he hopes to carry out — which he said he will pay for himself.

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[–] RedditIsDeddit@lemmy.world 220 points 2 days ago (4 children)

military parades have no value

[–] bradinutah@thelemmy.club 128 points 2 days ago (2 children)

For the strongest military in the world, it's degrading. This is pure government waste. Only a malignant narcissist could find value in this.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 31 points 2 days ago (2 children)

True.

But what's also true is the fighter pilot flyovers, anthem, and pledge of allegiance. All of them are problematic and should have ended long ago.

Like, I just get tired of people acting like trump came out of nowhere and shit was perfect.

We can't just keep watching the right destroy shit, then settle for a pause in the damage. We need to start fixing shit before there's nothing left to be fixed.

America replaced patriotism with nationalism decades ago, and refusing to address it will make another trump a question of "when" not "if".

[–] Mithre@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (12 children)

I agree on the whole anthem/pledge thing, but flyovers do have at least some value in that they give pilots flight hours. Those planes would have to be in the air anyway for training, so they might as well use them for advertising via flyovers.

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[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

But what’s also true is the fighter pilot flyovers,

Not positive on this one, but I think pilots need to regularly fly a certain number of hours in different types of aircraft to maintain their pilot rating or improve it. If they have to fly anyway, at least this way taxpayers get to see what they're paying for instead of the same flight hours occurring over some desert or mountain range far away from people.

They do.

However the flyovers and other military displays during sporting events were originally done as a recruitment tool.

An advertisement for the military.

It has nothing to do with deliberately planning flight hours for pilots, the hours are a secondary benefit.

[–] My_IFAKs___gone@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago

I've found Air Shows and AFB Open Houses to be WAY better at showcasing military assets and personnel to the public and driving recruitment. Military parades are pretty cringe.

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 43 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Except to piss off your troops. I HATED being in parades to celebrate some general or another retiring. Then there's the potential for heat injuries and troops just passing out from standing so long.

[–] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 32 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Sounds about right. You really want to honor the troops then how about taking that money and cutting every active and reservist soldier a check?

[–] Dultas@lemmy.world 25 points 2 days ago

Or not gutting the VA.

[–] illegible@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Trump proceeds to take “that money and cutting every active and reservist soldier”

[–] The_Caretaker@lemm.ee 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Even small parades for pass and review used to result in at least a few soldiers falling out in formation. I can only imagine how long these 7000 people are going to be outside, in the heat, wasting time, before the parade even starts. Based on my own experience, these things are never well organized and with Trump's butt-monkeys in charge, I expect worse results than usual. Some soldiers will probably die for this parade. Happy Birthday to Dear Leader, I guess.

People forget the standard advice: Don't lock up your legs, bend your knees just enough to have a little movement without it being noticeable at a distance. Gotta find the sweet spot of hydrated without overshooting into the "have to pee every 10 minutes" range too.

[–] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Seriously... I can only imagine they'll have to hurry up and wait extremely early and be out there for hours. If it were me, I'd be PISSED

[–] The_Caretaker@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Remember to be 30 minutes early for the commander an additional 30 minutes early for the first-sergeant and another 30 minutes early for the platoon sergeant. Commander wants you there at 08:00 and by the time it passes through the chain, you have to show up at 06:00 and stand around for 2 hours so that when the commander shows up late at like 08:30 he or she can tell you to wait around in the sun for two more hours before the practice starts. By 10:00, six people have passed out and no one knows who was supposed to bring the water and the practice hasn't even started yet. I love military parades. /s

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For the people.

It has immense propaganda value. Look at North Korea and Russia. They regularly parade their military to look powerful.

For them, they literally carry a big stick in the hopes that no one will challenge them.

Trump is doing it so that he can show the world how powerful he is. Not by military might but by forcing the government to do the parade.

This value alone is worth 10 times the cost for Trump. Remember that it's about his ego. And also remember that Trump isn't paying a damn cent. We are. He's thumbing his nose at us.

That value is worth 100 times the cost.

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[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 94 points 2 days ago (6 children)

I post this to mock the premise of the whole thing, especially the part where he’ll “pay for it himself.” The only thing he pays for is sex, lawyers, and bribes.

[–] Kookie215@lemmy.world 72 points 2 days ago (1 children)

He doesn't even pay his lawyers. I'm willing to bet he's refused to pay a few hookers as well.

[–] Keilik@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago (5 children)

It’s amazing how he hit that level of scumbag where the default response is victim blaming, anytime there’s a story about him not paying it always ends up at “are you surprised? That’s what he does.”

That’s still wrong though? I hate how he gets such a free pass

[–] BigBenis@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

He's proven that he can't be reasoned with and is effectively immune from accountability. At this point, casting blame upon him is essentially the same as blaming a natural disaster for the destruction it causes. If you get burned while playing with fire, would it be rational to blame the fire?

I also hate that that's our reality. But I see people arguing that blaming Democrats for dropping the ball gives Trump and the Republican party a free pass to be shitty and this is my dilemma.

[–] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I think it's more schadenfreude than victim blaming - that and a dash of Leopards Eating My Face. Those type of comments are usually under such stories as MAGA lawyers lining up to handle his nonsense lawsuits in order to ride his coattails to fame and wealth, only to be abandoned when they fail to get results. Victim blaming would imply they're actually victims instead of grifters stupidly working under another grifter.

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[–] dhork@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

The ironic thing is that this time he probably can pay for it, now that he has turned his second presidency into a bribe magnet through the power of Crypto Shitcoins. He won't, but he can.

[–] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You think he pays directly for sex?

The glove-bedecked intern leaves it on the bedstand

Who probably is forced to watch and say "good job sir".

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 46 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We have become the USSR during the cold war, but only because some fat asshole wants to cheer for himself. The Soviets did it to showcase their weaponry to the world. This one is just doing it to feel important. No one questions if we have the most advanced weapons.

[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 27 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I always felt that Trump is more Jeltzin than Putin. As in, the bumbling fool that paves the way for the oligarchic dictatorship that follows. As soon as he isn't useful, the real fascists behind him will drop him immediately.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 2 days ago

That's a troubling assessment because it sounds likely.

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 25 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Throw peanuts at him during the parade.

[–] Ceruleum@lemmy.wtf 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

High velocity metal peanuts.

[–] this_1_is_mine@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Oh no need to be violent. circus peanuts are bad enough and just as lethal.

[–] Railing5132@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Tomatoes, rotten eggs, wilted lettuce...

[–] AngrySquirrel@lemm.ee 36 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Dear Leader knows that birthday military parades are far more important than wasteful spending like meals-on-wheels, education, cancer research, and veterans' benefits such as the veterans' suicide hotline. You are all guilty of wrongthink. Thank you Dear Leader. Glory to the Supreme Leader and the party.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juche

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 2 days ago

Hey! Dear Leader is awesome and I won't have you talking shit about him. Now, let us salute Dear Leader and sing a patriotic song in his honor. Because freedumb, damnit!

[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 26 points 2 days ago

Who CARES about the Price Tag? THIS is EXACTLY why we ELIMINATED the Department of Education and Social Security and the VA! So we can Afford a Birthday Party for Trump!

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 30 points 2 days ago

keep on seeing more costs than any other administration and no returns. He constantly talks about fictional money we are getting and downplays or straight out tries to get rid of any actual accounting.

[–] Veedem@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago

We have to hunker down and spend less but he gets a parade. And yet they’ll still defend this nonsense.

[–] rayyy@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

Make is so the "parade" didn't happen. Boycott everything about it. Boycott any news. Do not mention it. Change the subject if anyone mentions it. Turn off any television channel or news that covers it. Vanish it. You never heard about it.

“Everyone else gets one doll, I get golden statues and parades, because I am the greatest and you guys are so selfish and greedy for wanting more then one doll, that’s like taking a golden calf from my back patio, and that would just make me so angry, because I am the greatest, that’s why I get all the dolls for my birthday parade. Suffer for me, and I’ll make sure you don’t suffer as my boot is on your neck”

[–] Kirp123@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

Can someone just give him some peanuts and skip the parade?

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Trump also outlined a White House renovation he hopes to carry out — which he said he will pay for himself.

Makes sense as he more than likely doesn't plan on leaving...

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Some garish, tasteless, gold shit everywhere.

Tasteless isn't even the word. It's like anti-taste, negative taste, taste-less.

[–] blattrules@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

He wants to hold it on flag day which is so important that we don’t even get the day off for it. It’s not even the 250th anniversary of flag day; it’s the 248th. This is just for his own stupid vanity and selfishness (not that this needed to be explained to anyone).

[–] Pnut@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I hate to say it but the white house does require renovation every once in awhile. I don't believe that Trump understands that and it was just tacked on by his staff. However it is a historic landmark. That will need airing out when Trump drops dead.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (2 children)

There’s renovation in keeping with the intent and history of the building, and then there’s trump’s ostentatious and tacky design preferences.

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[–] Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago
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