made a high priority. we have politicians here in the united states, that say very good things about the veterans and tend to applaud the veterans for their service, which is great. it s one of those things that you have to put your money where your mouth is. in this particular case, the money would be better spent to support veterans causes and veterans health care needs. it s worth pointing out, this is a compromise arrangement. the president wanted a grand military parade on the same massive scale he s seen in france, russia, north korea. but the cost was too high. what do you make of a u.s. president who wants to display america s military hardware in this way? i think he s missing a point that previous presidents have really been able to use to their advantage. america has been known for wielding its power quietly, until it has to go out and
cnn s tom foreman is in washington at the national mall for us. reporter: hey, kate. preparations are under way all up and down the national mall here with things like this big piece of military hardware being brought in, as the president has asked, to have a great show of american power and influence. but his critics are saying what this is really all about is a great show of his ego. the iconic fireworks over the national mall will be moved to a new spot. all flights will be grounded at washington s reagan national airport for more than two hours. and three times the usual number of national guard troops will be deployed for security. all so president donald trump can be the centerpiece for d.c. s fourth of july celebration, giving an unprecedented speech at the lincoln memorial. we re going to have a great fourth of july in washington, d.c. it ll be like no other. reporter: for all the costly changes, it s still not precisely what he wanted early on, a grand military parade, a
details. reporter: the iconic fireworks over the national mall will be moved to a new spot. all flights will be grounded at washington s reagan national airport for more than two hours. and three times the usual number of national guard troops will be deployed for security. all so president donald trump can be the centerpiece for d.c. s fourth of july celebration. giving an unprecedented speech at the lincoln memorial. we re going to have a great fourth of july in washington, d.c. it will be like no other. reporter: for all the costly changes it s still not precisely what he wanted early on, a grand military parade as seen in some other countries such as france, russia, and north korea. but cost estimates for that plan quickly ran into tens of millions of dollars. the d.c. city council, mindful of expensive street damage, howled no tanks. the park service has remained quiet about how much it will cost to take on the additional requirements. and the pentagon is not
these are actually bradley fighting vehicles. they re armored personnel carriers. allegedly there will be some abrams tanks brought in as well. that is the big question though. who s going to pay for all this? what budget is this coming out of? and while the president says this is a celebration of america, many of his critics are saying, no. this is a celebration of himself. the iconic fireworks over the national mall will be moved to a new spot. all flights grounded at reagan national airport for two hours. and troops deployed for security. all so president donald trump can be the center piece for d.c. s fourth of july celebration. giving an unprecedented speech at the lincoln memorial. we ll have a great fourth of july celebration like no other. reporter: for all the cost, a grand military parade a scene in
airport for more than two hours. and three tis time three times number of guard will be deployed for security. all for the fourth of july celebration, giving an unprecedented speech at the lincoln memorial. it will be like no other. reporter: for all the costly changes, it is still not precisely what he wanted early on, a grand military parade as seen in some other countries such as france, russia and north korea. but cost estimates for that plan quickly ran into tens of millions of dollars. the d.c. city council mindful of expensive street damage said no tanks. the park service has remained quiet about how much it will cost to take on the additional requirements and the pentagon is not discussing the price tag for a flyover by the blue angels, a plane that serves as air force one, other aircraft and a couple tanks and troop carriers that