Sure, maybe DoD didn't give the formal estimate directly to Trump before he cancelled it. But here's what was reported publicly before Trump cancelled it:
Trump's military parade is now estimated to cost $92 million – $80 million more than earlier estimate President Trump says he canceled his military parade
12:10 PM ET Fri, 17 Aug 2018 | 01:20
President Donald Trump's military parade — postponed after this article was originally published — is shaping up to cost $80 million more than initially estimated.
The Department of Defense and its interagency partners have updated their prospective cost estimates for the parade, according to a U.S. defense official with firsthand knowledge of the assessment. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The parade, originally slated for Nov. 10 but now potentially set for 2019, is estimated to cost $92 million, the official said. The figure consists of $50 million from the Pentagon and $42 million from interagency partners such as the Department of Homeland Security. An initial estimate last month pegged the prospective cost for the parade at $12 million.
A Pentagon spokesman said in an email to CNBC that the Defense Department expects to make an announcement soon, but he would not comment further. The White House referred questions to the Defense Department.
The $92 million cost estimate includes security, transportation of parade assets, aircraft, as well as temporary duty for troops. The official also noted that while the size and scope of the military parade can still shift, the plans currently include approximately eight tanks, as well as other armored vehicles, including Bradleys, Strykers and M113s.
The official also said that experts put to rest concerns about whether the Abrams tank, which weighs just shy of 70 tons, would ruin infrastructure in Washington. Their analysis found that, because of the vehicle's distributed weight and track pads, the streets of the nation's capital would not be compromised.https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/16/trump-military-parade-expected-to-cost-80-million-more-than-estimated.htmlSo what we have here is a Pentagon official who clearly has some detailed knowledge about this leaking the numbers to his buddies in the press before the estimate was formally sent to the White House. When someone is leaking the relevant information in the press before the President sees it, it matters little whether or not the Pentagon had yet given that information "directly" to the President.
