Trump's July 4th parade cost taxpayers more than $5m

Donald Trump’s “Salute to America” event on the Fourth of July cost US taxpayers a total of $5.35m (£4.75m), officials have revealed.

The Department of Defence said it contributed $1.2m (£1m) for last week’s military parade in the capital, while the city of Washington, DC put in $1.7m (£1.4m) to cover the event’s logistics.

The Interior Department and National Park Service spent another $2.45 (£2m) million on staffing costs, barricades and medical services, according to a letter shared with ABC News.

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Congressman Raul Grijalva was among the Democrats condemning the cost of the president’s lavish celebration.

Mr Grijalva, chairman of the House committee overseeing the Interior Department, said the park service’s spending was “especially wrong” considering it had not yet paid off the bills from Mr Trump’s inauguration festivities.

Shape Created with Sketch. All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC Show all 7 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC 1/7 Million Man March 95 - 837,000 Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan called the Million Man March in 1995 in order that black men could improve their image in society AFP/Getty 2/7 Million Mom March - Over 700,000 Demanding sensible gun legislation, over 700,000 mothers, grandmothers and other marched on Washington in the year 2000 AFP/Getty 3/7 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom - 300,000 The 1963 march that saw Martin Luther King give his famous 'I have a dream' speech drew 300,000 people to the National Mall to demand civil rights AFP/Getty 4/7 Women's March - Over 200,000 The day after the inauguration of President Trump, women all over the world took to the streets in protest of his comments on women. 200,000 marched on Washington alone. AFP/Getty 5/7 March for Women's Lives - 1.1 million A pro-choice rally in 2004 drew over a million people to the National Mall to protest against the Bush administration's policies on family planning and reproductive health issues Reuters 6/7 March on Washington for LGBT rights - Over 1,000,000 Over 1,000,000 people marched on Washington in April 1993 to demand greater rights for LGBT people AFP/Getty 7/7 Obama's Inauguration - 1.1 million The inauguration on Barack Obama in January 2009 drew 1.1 million (top) people to the National Mall, the highest number since Lyndon B Johnson's second inauguration in 1965. President Trump falsely claimed that his crowd (bottom) was bigger Reuters 1/7 Million Man March 95 - 837,000 Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan called the Million Man March in 1995 in order that black men could improve their image in society AFP/Getty 2/7 Million Mom March - Over 700,000 Demanding sensible gun legislation, over 700,000 mothers, grandmothers and other marched on Washington in the year 2000 AFP/Getty 3/7 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom - 300,000 The 1963 march that saw Martin Luther King give his famous 'I have a dream' speech drew 300,000 people to the National Mall to demand civil rights AFP/Getty 4/7 Women's March - Over 200,000 The day after the inauguration of President Trump, women all over the world took to the streets in protest of his comments on women. 200,000 marched on Washington alone. AFP/Getty 5/7 March for Women's Lives - 1.1 million A pro-choice rally in 2004 drew over a million people to the National Mall to protest against the Bush administration's policies on family planning and reproductive health issues Reuters 6/7 March on Washington for LGBT rights - Over 1,000,000 Over 1,000,000 people marched on Washington in April 1993 to demand greater rights for LGBT people AFP/Getty 7/7 Obama's Inauguration - 1.1 million The inauguration on Barack Obama in January 2009 drew 1.1 million (top) people to the National Mall, the highest number since Lyndon B Johnson's second inauguration in 1965. President Trump falsely claimed that his crowd (bottom) was bigger Reuters

The National Parks Conservation Association has called on the Department of Interior’s inspector general to examine the park service’s Salute to America spending.

Kristen Brengel, vice president of the watchdog group, called the sum devoted to the parade “offensive”.

Yet the National Park Service’s deputy director Dan Smith said the “exposure” generated by the event justified the cost.

“If you could tell me that for $2.5 million additional dollars the exposure we got from this televised event, it’s a great bang for the buck,” he told ABC News.

Mr Trump had claimed the total bill for the event would be “very little compared to what it is worth” and emphasised the private donations that would cover the cost of the fireworks display.

The $5.35m (£4.75m) spent by government does not include the $750,000 (£665,000) worth of fireworks provided by Ohio company Phantom Fireworks.

Nor does it include the cost of the military flyover – which came out of training budgets, according to the Pentagon.