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Thanks but no tanks, says Pentagon to Trump's parade request

Trump can have anything he wants — except military tanks

Despite President Donald Trump’s best efforts, military tanks won’t be rolling down the streets of Washington D.C. in his honor anytime soon.

Trump has repeatedly raised his desire to throw a military parade modeled after France’s Bastille Day parade, which typically features both tanks and military aircraft. But a Pentagon memo issued Thursday declined the request for at least the second time since Trump's election, explaining that such vehicles could tear up Washington D.C.’s roads, CNN reported Friday.

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According to CNN, the memo notes, “Consideration must be given to minimize damage to the local infrastructure.”

But, as they say, the show must go on, and it’s still reportedly scheduled to take place on Nov. 11, in order to honor Veterans Day, with an “emphasis on the price of freedom,” CNN reported. Some units will dress in period uniforms, as military aircraft flies overhead.

Reports that Trump had ordered the military to throw a parade in the streets of Washington D.C. first emerged last month. “The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” a military official told the Washington Post at the time. “This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.”

The Pentagon later confirmed the reports, telling journalists, “We are aware of the request and are looking at dates.”

The Nov. 11 parade will reportedly run from the White House to the Capitol. Trump — who never served in the military and in fact received five deferments during the Vietnam War — will be seated near the Capitol, surrounded by veterans and Medal of Honor recipients.

Image via Getty