FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis testifies to the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday he believed President Donald Trump wanted Washington D.C. to be the setting for a parade to honor the U.S. military but left open the possibility that it could be staged elsewhere.

“As I understand it, he wants the parade in Washington D.C. - but that’s a good question,” Mattis told Pentagon reporters, when asked whether the military was developing options on different locations for the parade.

Asked later whether he had consulted the D.C. government, he said the government still needed to “figure out where it’s going to be.”