Trump is finally getting the military celebration in DC he’s long wantedĪlthough the US military regularly conducts PR events - flyovers at a baseball game, for instance - government-sponsored celebrations of the military like the one being planned for this July 4 aren’t a normal occurrence in the United States. Federal law prohibits the executive branch from using public resources for a political event, but as Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway’s repeated consequence-free violations of the Hatch Act demonstrated, the Trump White House isn’t particularly concerned about those sorts of things. Not only does the event have the appearance of a party thrown by Trump for his supporters, but if past is precedent, Trump will almost certainly veer into politics during his speech - as he’s regularly done during other “official” White House speeches that weren’t supposed to be campaign-related, and during visits to American troops abroad. Some tickets have been distributed to military families, but there’s no indication that Democrats have been invited to the VIP area. Talking Points Memo later obtained a newsletter from the Maryland GOP indicating that the state party was given a number of tickets to a VIP area close to the stage where Trump is scheduled to deliver his speech. Government watchdog groups and Democratic politicians have raised concerns following a HuffPost report about how “he Republican National Committee has been offering major donors tickets to Trump’s speech, as have political appointees at the White House and executive branch agencies.” The White House has distributed VIP tickets to Trump’s political allies, creating the perception of partisanship. Trump’s event is open to the public - to a point. Politico reports that MSNBC has decided not to air it live, while CNN’s plans remain unclear. Trump’s event will be carried live by C-SPAN and on Fox News. “I am NOT participating in t’s political rally,” she wrote. Featured performer Carole King pointed out on Twitter that the Capitol Fourth Concert is distinct from Trump’s event, which she is not participating in. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Mall by the Capitol, the traditional “Capitol Fourth Concert” event is scheduled to begin at 8 pm. Gates open at 3 p.m.” At some point Trump is expected to give a speech, and there will be a separate fireworks show after Trump concludes his remarks. Army Band (“Pershing’s Own”), the Armed Forces Chorus, the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, and many others. Participants include the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the U.S. Those celebrations, per usual, will include a parade, concerts, and fireworks - teeing up what will likely be a confusing, jam-packed security professional’s worst nightmare.Īccording to a press release from the Department of the Interior, Trump’s event begins at 6:30 pm and will include the president “honor America’s armed forces with music, military demonstrations, flyovers and much more. Trump’s “Salute to America” event is set to parallel to the capital city’s traditional Fourth of July celebration, which will still be taking place along other parts of the National Mall. In any event, the spectacle of Trump delivering a primetime speech at the Lincoln Memorial as part of typically non-partisan July Fourth festivities promises to be a memorable one. Critics, on the other hand, see it as a fundamentally un-American glorification of militarism. But it was still weird.įor Trump - who often conflates support for him personally with patriotism, and vice versa - “Salute to America” will ostensibly be a celebration of the country in general, and in particular of the military build-up he’s overseen as president. Trump’s “Salute to America” speech wasn’t as bad as some feared.
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