US military parade originally scheduled for November is delayed until 2019, Pentagon says

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Pentagon: Military parade not happening in 2018

Pentagon delays plans for Trump's proposed military parade.

The military parade President Trump requested for November has been pushed back until 2019, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

The event was originally scheduled to occur the day before Veterans Day but has now been moved to an unknown date in 2019, a spokesman for the Pentagon said in a statement.

"The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to honor America's military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War I," the statement said. "We originally targeted Nov. 10, 2018 for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019."

The Pentagon did not offer a reason for the delay.

The military parade President Trump requested for November has been pushed back to 2019, the Pentagon announced Thursday. (AP)

Trump has received criticism over the cost of putting on a parade at taxpayer expense. Over the winter, the president's budget director said the cost would be between $10 and $30 million.

Since that time, cost estimates have skyrocketed upwards of $90 million.

But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Thursday pushed back on the figures, saying he hadn't seen such an estimate.

"I have not seen an estimate of 92 million dollars, the estimates are coming to me, I've given the initial guidance ..." Mattis said. "I haven't received an estimate of 10 million or 92 million."

In response to the rising costs of the parade, The American Legion said that while they were grateful for the "dramatic" show of support for U.S. troops, they thought the money was "better spent" elsewhere.

"The American Legion appreciates that our President wants to show in a dramatic fashion our nation's support for our troops," the statement said. "However, until such time as we can celebrate victory in the War on Terrorism and bring our military home, we think the parade money would be better spent fully funding the Department of Veteran Affairs and giving our troops and their families the best care possible."

Trump conceived the idea of a military parade in the U.S. after attending France's Bastille Day in July 2017, a celebration he called "magnificent."

The president requested the parade take place on the path from the White House to Capitol Hill. It was intended to highlight the contributions veterans have made "throughout the history of the U.S. Military," according to a previous note from Mattis's office and would date back from the Revolutionary War to present day, "with an emphasis on the price of freedom."

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Nicole Darrah and Constance McDonough contributed to this report.