It was an unusually strong denial from a career military man who is widely regarded as among the most apolitical and evenhanded officials in Mr. Trump’s small circle of top advisers.
As it turned out, it was also wrong.
At the time Mr. Mattis was speaking to the journalists, he had not yet received the range of estimated costs for the parade, according to Col. Robert Manning, a Pentagon press secretary. Neither had Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Colonel Manning said.
The last time a similar parade was held in Washington was in 1991, celebrating the end of the Persian Gulf War. It cost about $12 million, or about $22 million in today’s dollars.
Denise Rohan, the national commander of the American Legion, said the money that would have been spent on Mr. Trump’s Veterans Day ceremony would be put to better use aiding veterans and active-duty troops, “until such time as we can celebrate victory in the war on terrorism and bring our military home.”
The parade was initially scheduled for Nov. 10, during Veterans Day weekend. Instead, administration officials said, Mr. Trump now plans to return to Paris on Veterans Day to attend an Armistice Day celebration in France, complete with an enormous military parade.
This year, Armistice Day celebrates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
In one of his tweets on Friday, Mr. Trump allowed for the possibility of a military parade in 2019. He also wants to attend the Andrews Air Show in May 2019, which takes place at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, the home to Air Force One.
The air show features displays of modern air-fighting machines, performances by the Air Force Thunderbirds and other planes, and other military exhibitions.
Retreating from his parade plans, the president also took a jab at the local government in Washington, saying the city is “poorly” run. Ms. Bowser is a Democrat, and the city’s residents voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, in 2016.
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