Most say Trump's military parade is not a good use of government funds: Poll
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Six out of 10 adults say President Trump's Saturday military parade honoring the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary — which coincides with his birthday — is not a good use of government money, according to a poll released Thursday.
The big picture: The event, on which the Army predicts it will spend $25 million to $45 million, will be met with widespread anti-Trump protests from coast to coast.
By the numbers: More adults approve of Trump's decision to have the parade (40%) than disapprove (29%), according to data from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
- 31% neither approve nor disapprove.
- But 60% polled between June 5 and June 9 said the military parade was not a good use of government funds, compared to 38% who thought it was a good use.
Zoom in: There's a stark divide in the way Democrats and Republicans view the multimillion-dollar celebration.
- While 80% of Democrats say it's not a good use of funds, just 35% of Republicans agree.
- Among independents, 72% say it's not a good use of government money.
What they're saying: "The Army 250th Birthday Parade will be a unifying celebration for not only the thousands in attendance, but Americans across the country who can participate in honoring our active-duty servicemembers, Veterans, and fallen heroes," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement provided to Axios.
Friction point: Trump on Tuesday vowed that protesters responding to his parade will be met with "very big force," though he added he hadn't heard of any planned demonstrations.
- Army officials are preparing rocket launchers, missiles and dozens of military aircraft and vehicles for the D.C. parade, Axios' Alex Isenstadt scooped.
- The rain-or-shine event is triggering widespread road closures and Metro disruptions in the nation's capital and will be heavily secured.
Methodology: The nationwide poll was conducted June 5-9. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,158 adults. The overall margin of sampling error is +/- 4.0 percentage points.
Go deeper: Scoop: Rocket launchers, missiles to be featured in Trump's Army parade
