The plan to hold an unusual display of American military might in the streets of the nation's capital was first reported by the Washington City Paper.

It said the parade could stretch four miles (six kilometers) -- from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, to the White House.

A White House official told AFP that no military parade had been scheduled.

Trump had floated the idea of holding a grand military parade in Washington during his first term after attending a Bastille Day parade in France.

It never materialized, however, after the Pentagon said it could cost $92 million and concerns were raised that tanks and other heavy military vehicles would damage the city's streets.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser raised similar concerns on Monday when asked by reporters about plans for a parade.

"Military tanks on our streets would not be good," Bowser said. "If military tanks were used they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads."

Bowser said the Department of Homeland Security or the White House had reached out to the city's special events task force.

"I would say it's at its early stages," she said. "I don't know if it's been characterized as a military parade, but maybe it has."

Told that the parade starting point was reportedly the Pentagon, Bowser said: "Well then it does sound like a military parade."

The last major US military parade in Washington was held in 1991 to celebrate the end of the Gulf War.