The Associated Press obtained the planning documents, which are dated April 29 and 30, and these documents haven’t been released publicly. They outline the Army’s latest blueprint for its long-planned 250th anniversary festival on the National Mall, which now includes a proposed large military parade that is under discussion.

Among those were objections from city officials who said including tanks and other heavy armoured vehicles would tear up the roads.

Trump said in a social media post in 2018 that he was cancelling the event over the costs and accused local politicians of price gouging.

This year, as plans progressed for the Army to host its birthday festival in Washington, talk about a parade began anew.

In April, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged that the administration had contacted the city about a possible parade on June 14. The parade would start in Arlington, Virginia, home to the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, then cross the Potomac River into Washington.

Bowser at the time said she didn’t know if the event was being “characterised as a military parade” but added that tanks rolling through the city’s streets “would not be good”.

“If military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads,” she said.

In 2018, the Pentagon appeared to agree.

A memo from the defence secretary’s staff said plans for the parade — at that time — would include only wheeled vehicles and no tanks to minimise damage to local infrastructure.