This year’s Fourth of July Celebration in Washington, DC—a typically
nonpartisan affair that attracts hundreds of thousands celebrants to the nation’s
capital—will break from tradition, thanks to President Donald Trump.
The president has ordered that the massive fireworks display that usually
takes place over the National Mall be moved to West Potomac Park, closer to the
Potomac river. And in an unprecedented move, he’s also considering
a new star
for the show: himself.
According to multiple administration officials who spoke to the
Washington
Post, the president is “making tentative plans to address the nation from
the steps of the Lincoln Memorial” during this year’s independence day
festivities. The
Post adds:
The president’s starring role has the potential to
turn what has long been a nonpartisan celebration of the nation’s founding into
another version of a Trump campaign rally. Officials said it is unclear how
much the changes may cost, but the plans have already raised alarms among city
officials and some lawmakers about the potential impact of such major
alterations to a time-honored and well-organized summer tradition.
The traditional event has been staged for more than 50 years, and has long
included fireworks on the mall organized by the National Park Service, as well
as a concert near the Capitol featuring the National Symphony Orchestra and a
lineup of major musical stars. Last year’s concert, for instance, featured The
Temptations, The Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett, and a slew of other household
names.
Former Trump aides told the
Post that Trump’s idea for a revised Fourth
of July celebration began “hours” after he attended a 2017 Bastille Day parade
in France, while on the plane back to the United States. Trump originally
proposed having a military parade similar to what he’d seen in Paris, with
tanks in the streets and military planes flying overhead, in Washington, DC.
The idea morphed into a military parade to be held in November 2018 on
Veterans Day. However, the Pentagon postponed the event following reports that
the tab for such a parade and corresponding security would run up to $92
million.
In February of this year, however, the president seemed to return to the
idea of a massive, Trump-heavy Washington DC event, and previewed his new plans
for independence day.
Since then, Trump has grown obsessed with the details of the event,
according to administration aides who spoke to the
Post: “The president has
received regular briefings on the effort in the Oval Office and has gotten
involved in the minutiae of the planning—even discussing whether the fireworks
should be launched from a barge in the Potomac River,” the newspaper notes,
adding that aides report the “president has shown interest in the event that he
often does not exhibit for other administration priorities.”
It is unclear how much changes to the event to accommodate the president’s
wishes could cost taxpayers. An official from the D.C. mayor’s administration
told the
Post that the city will expect the federal government to pick up the
tab for any additional expenses.
Source:
www.motherjones.com
Now, in posts on social media, organizers of “A Capitol Fourth” are making
it clear that their event has no connection to what Trump is planning, and it
will go on as usual.
