The Trump administration has called off its pursuit of a military spectacle in San Diego in early November for the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Marines, after making multiple visits in hopes of staging an air and sea show the president would attend, according to people familiar with the planning.
The shift was confirmed by the Navy, which says it is now looking at sites in Florida.
The local show was quietly being developed on behalf of President Donald Trump, who was expected to watch the celebration from a vantage point in San Diego Bay, part of which would have been closed to civilian boat traffic to make room for parading warships, sources said.
The celebration also was to have included an appearance by the Navy’s popular Blue Angels demonstration squadron, which could have disrupted passenger traffic at San Diego International Airport, sources said.
The planning began roughly five weeks ago when the Trump administration told the Navy, Marines and FAA to explore organizing and producing the show — an effort that soon also involved the Port of San Diego, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Administration and the USS Midway Museum.
An advance team from the White House conducted two site visits — one involving a thorough review of the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal, seen as a prime shoreline viewing area — and hoped the show would draw 100,000 spectators, sources said.
As late as Wednesday, the administration was proceeding with planning an event, even though it was being organized in short order. By comparison, it takes 14 months to fully plan and carry out each year’s Miramar Air Show, the largest military air show in the U.S.
The Navy’s precision flight team, the Blue Angels, fly above the crowd at the MCAS Miramar Air Show on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, in San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
But things changed Thursday when the Trump administration informed the Navy, the Marines and the Federal Aviation Administration that San Diego was no longer a preferred site for the show.
No clear, detailed reason was given. But such a large-scale operation was likely to face local opposition.
One person familiar with the plans said airport officials were concerned that the event could affect the airport because of the Blue Angels’ part of the performance. Officials were told the airport would likely have to shut down for a few hours on a couple of days for practice time and then again for the actual performance.
Now, as word has spread that the planning has been called off, “there’s a general sense of relief,” the source said.
People familiar with the planning also expressed concern that the Trump gala could distract public attention from the many veteran celebrations being held in the region in the coming months, including the Boot Camp Challenge and Fleet Week.
The program the Trump administration was developing was large in scope. According to a draft planning document reviewed by the Union-Tribune, the event would include flyovers by many types of aircraft, including F-35C and F-18F fighter jets, and would feature the Navy Leap Frogs parachute team, which would land on the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln at North Island.
That carrier is preparing for deployment, likely late this year.
Union-Tribune reporter Karen Kucher contributed to this story.
Originally Published: September 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM PDT