Trump To Appear At NYC Veterans Day Parade

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump will return to his hometown next week to appear at the New York City Veterans Day Parade, organizers announced Wednesday.

Trump will "offer a tribute" to veterans during the opening ceremony for Monday's 100th annual parade, which is expected to draw more than 25,000 participants to Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, organizers said.

The sitting president has always been invited to the parade but Trump is the first commander-in-chief known to personally accept the offer, according to the United War Veterans Council, which puts on the event.

"This is a day when we put politics aside to focus on honoring our veterans, and to re-commit ourselves as a community to providing them with the services they have earned, the services they deserve and, for many, the services they were denied," council Chairman Douglas McGowan said in a statement. "We thank and commend President Trump for leading that effort on this Centennial, and we acknowledge his historic support for our activities here in New York City."

Trump has a history with the parade — he helped rescue the event with a large donation in the mid-1990s and also contributed money to establish the city's Vietnam Veterans Memorial, McGowan said.

The opening ceremony at which the Queens-born president will appear kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Madison Square Park.

Trump's visit to the parade will come just about a week after he returned to his hometown for Saturday's Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at Madison Square Garden, where he was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos. He also came to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September.