Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton has a scathing response to President Donald Trump’s plans to hold a massive military parade in Washington.

Eaton said Trump has “continually shown himself to have authoritarian tendencies” and the parade idea was “just another worrisome example,” according to a tweeted statement from VoteVets, a progressive political action committee.

Retired Major General Paul Eaton says @realDonaldTrump's parade idea underscores his authoritarian tendencies, and that our military is not there to be "used and abused" to prop up his image.



VoteVets full statement on Trump's orders for a military parade. pic.twitter.com/Am7uSSWZfo — VoteVets (@votevets) February 7, 2018

Trump has faced widespread ridicule over his plan to show off the nation’s arsenal.

And Eaton said Trump’s past praise of authoritarian strongmen such as former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear that he wasn’t really interested in celebrating the military.

Instead, it was “about making a display of the military saluting him,” Eaton added, noting how the armed services should not be “reduced to stagecraft to prop up Donald Trump’s image.”

“Unfortunately, we do not have a commander in chief, right now, as much as we have a wannabe banana republic strong man,” Eaton said.

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