White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegBillionaire who donated to Trump in 2016 donates to Biden The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice MORE (D) hammered President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE on Wednesday over his plans to have a military display during this year’s July Fourth parade in Washington, DC., saying it makes America “look smaller.”

“We’ve always been bigger than that. We’ve also been the kind of country that respects our military enough not to use them as props,” the South Bend, Ind., mayor said on CNN. “Think about the strongest, toughest person you know. It’s probably not a person who goes around talking about how strong or tough they are.”

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“I think the president’s trying to honor himself, and, again, my worry is it ultimately makes us look smaller,” he added.

Buttigieg, an Afghanistan War veteran, said the president is using the military as “ornaments for his ego or for his agenda,” citing the Pentagon’s deployment of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to try to deter illegal crossings.

“The whole idea of civilian control of the military is that there’s going to be some kind of separation, and trying to enlist people in uniform to decorate his political agenda just diminishes the military that so many serve in without regard to politics or favor,” he said.

Democrats have also expressed concerns that displays of tanks and military planes will echo those of leaders who seek to boost their support by flexing their military might.

“This is the stuff of authoritarian regimes, exactly what patriotic Americans were fighting against in 1776. Congressional Republicans who shrug at this will be complicit when Trump takes his authoritarian ambitions to the next level,” said Sen. Ron Wyden Ronald (Ron) Lee WydenHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Democratic senators ask inspector general to investigate IRS use of location tracking service MORE (D-Ore.).

Democrats have also come out swinging against the parade over its reported $2.5 million price tag, hundreds of thousands of dollars of which is expected to account for the military equipment featured at the event.

“These fees are not a slush fund for this administration to use at will. They are meant to improve our national parks, keep them safe and protected for Americans to enjoy, and are clearly not to be used for a political rally,” Rep. Betty McCollum Betty Louise McCollumOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump extends Florida offshore drilling pause, expands it to Georgia, South Carolina | Democrats probe Park Service involvement in GOP convention | Sanders attacks 'corporate welfare' to coal industry included in relief package Democrats probe Park Service involvement in GOP convention Overnight Energy: EPA chief outlines vision for agency under 'Trump's second term' | Agency sued over decision not to regulate chemical linked to fetal brain damage MORE (D-Minn.), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees Interior Department spending, said in a statement Wednesday.

Trump has defended the event, saying the cost “will be very little compared to what it is worth.”