Everything We Know About Trump’s July 4th Event

Ever since Donald Trump attended France’s Bastille Day parade in July of 2017, he’swanted to top it with a military parade of his own. Those plans were scrapped last summer when it became clear that a parade would cost nearly $100 million and destroy the streets of Washington, D.C. But in February of this year, after some modifications, Trump announced a new idea: He’d co-opt the annual July 4 fireworks show on the National Mall to throw a “Salute to America,” complete with a rambling speech, military flyovers, and a Trump rally atmosphere.

Here’s what we know about Trump’s Fourth of July celebration:

Depends on who you ask. The Interior Department, which has led the planning of the event, calls it a “celebration of America’s military with music, military demonstrations and flyovers.”

Detractors are calling it something different. Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told NBC News that Trump is making a “political rally” out of a day that should be for celebrating America and what it stands for. “Frankly, that’s not what July 4th is about,” he said. “It’s not about politics in the partisan sense — it’s about democracy, it’s about freedom, it’s about individual liberties, it’s about pursuit of happiness.”

But everyone can agree that part of Trump’s motivation is attempting to show up France. Watching the Bastille Day parade got Trump obsessed with throwing his own, and he nearly got it last year. That fell through, but he’s still been trying to outdo his good buddy Emmanuel Macron.

Trump will give a speech at 6:30 P.M. The fireworks will go off just after 9 P.M. And at some point, there will be military flyovers. Among the jets that will buzz the National Mall are Air Force One and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

Some items still seem to be up in the air though. On Monday, just three days before the event, the Washington Post reported that negotiations are still ongoing regarding the use of military tanks as props during Trump’s event.

Yes. The Salute to America is happening at the Lincoln Memorial, with other Independence Day events still scheduled for other parts of Washington. The National Independence Day Parade will move down Constitution Avenue and the annual A Capitol Fourth concert will still take place on the west lawn of the Capitol. The PBS celebration will feature, among others, Vanessa Williams and Carole King, who made it clear in a tweet that the event she’s participating in is NOT Trump’s.

Not really. Presidents typically stay away from July 4 celebrations, with the last one to link himself to the festitivists coming in 1970, USA Today reports. That year, Richard Nixon held an “Honor America Day,” which was besieged by Vietnam war protesters, some of whom held a marijuana smoke-in.

You know it. Though it won’t be easy for detractors to make themselves seen. Late last week, officials announced a VIP section in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Free tickets to access the area will be distributed by the White House, ensuring that protesters won’t be able to pack the area in front of Trump’s podium.

Of course, that won’t stop protesters from coming out. The National Park Service has granted Code Pink permission to fly a “Baby Trump” float during the event. And the havoc Trump’s event is wreaking on D.C. residents might persuade a few more to come out and protest. The Arlington Memorial Bridge will be closed, Reagan National Airport will be closed for 75 minutes, and parks and waterways will be shut down.

That’s not entirely clear. The National Park Service is going to have to foot the bill for government workers on the clock July 4, and the Pentagon will obviously have to spend something to pull off all those flyovers. The canceled 2018 Veteran’s Day parade was estimated to cost $92 million. That’s more than the Salute to America will cost, but we don’t yet know how much more.

One thing that taxpayers won’t have to foot the bill for is the extra fireworks. Two private companies have donated equipment and labor worth $750,000.

Source: New York Magazine

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