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President Donald Trump actually took charge of the celebration of the US Prime Minister in Washington, moving the gigantic fireworks from his usual location on the mall to the Potomac River and developing tentative plans to deal with to the Lincoln Memorial Nation, according to senior officials of the administration.
The president's main role could transform what has long been a non-partisan celebration of the founding of the country into another version of the Trump campaign rally. Officials said the cost of the changes was unclear, but the plans have already sounded the alarm among city officials and some lawmakers about the potential impact of such major changes on a well-organized and well-established summer tradition. .
The fireworks on the mall, orchestrated by the National Parks Service for over half a century, annually attract hundreds of thousands of Americans and make up one of the highlights of the tourist season of the city. The event has been broadcast live on television since 1947 and, since 1981, has been accompanied by a free concert on the western lawn of the US Capitol, featuring renowned musicians and a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra.
The new event, called "A Salute to America", will displace fireworks at West Potomac Park, about one kilometer southwest of its usual location, near the Washington Monument. In addition to a possible Trump address, the location could include a second stage of entertainment outside of the performers on Capitol Hill, officials said.
The revised Independence Day celebration is the culmination of two years of Trump's attempts to create a major patriotic event centered on him and his followers, including unsuccessful attempts to mount a military parade inspired by the July 14 celebration. The new event has become a top priority for the new Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, whom Trump charged with the task three months ago, officials said.
The President was regularly informed of the efforts made in the Oval Office and was involved in every detail of the planning. He initially argued that the fireworks should be launched from a barge in the Potomac River, officials said. The president has expressed interest in the case where he would often not show other priorities of the administration, added the collaborators.
"I think the president is excited about this idea, and we are working hard on it, and I think it could be very, very meaningful," Bernhardt said in an interview. "The president likes the idea, as probably all Americans, to celebrate America on July 4 or so."
Representative Betty McCollum, D-Minn., Who chairs the House Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, said in an interview that she was concerned that Trump might polarize what is typically a unifying event for Americans.
"It's not a particular president, it's the way our country was created, because of a group of brave men and women," he said. McCollum said. "It's not just one person, but" We, the people. "And if the president decides to do it, I think he will find the American public disappointed and angry."
An official in the administration of Mayor D. Muriel Bowser, Democrat, said federal officials had informed the city government of potential changes to the celebration of July 4, but that the logistics and cost of the format modified had not been finalized yet.
The manager – who requested anonymity to openly discuss the preparations for the event – said the city was concerned about the movement of fireworks and the logistics of the president going to the center. to deal with the crowds, which could interrupt the flow of traffic. visitors to and from nearby subway stations.
"We have a lot of people going to July 4. Logistically, over the years, the problems have been solved," said the manager. "We do not want to reject what already works."
The president's idea of celebrating July 4 under Trump's influence began a few hours after attending a lavish parade on July 14 in Paris, Paris, former aides said. Before Air Force One took off from France, Trump went to the back of the staff cabin and presented details of a proposed military parade to Washington, specifying the types of tanks he wanted in the streets and the type of plane. he wanted to fly over.
The idea was then turned into a parade related to Veterans Day, before collapsing completely last August, while the costs of the event eventually exploded. Trump accused the local authorities of canceling the event.
Then last February, Trump announced on Twitter that Americans should "KEEP THE DATE!" July 4 for a "big fireworks, entertainment and an address by your favorite president, me!"
Since then, no public announcement has been announced, but federal officials are working hard to adjust plans for an event that has hardly changed for at least two decades.
It is unclear whether changes to the shopping center celebration will increase costs for taxpayers. The launch of fireworks last year cost about $ 250,000, a figure that does not include the cost of security, portable toilets and fences. The head of the CD said the city would expect the federal government to bear the new costs of the changes to the celebration.
In justifying Trump's changes, Interior officials said moving the fireworks launch site on the north and south sides of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool – where it has been for at least 18 years – to West Potomac Park will increase visitor numbers.
National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said the agency was to close an area around the Reflecting Pool for about 10 days before the event, thereby cutting access to the site. 39, one of the most popular sites of the National Mall.
Bernhardt said that by modifying the launch site, "it would be a significant expansion of the space available to watch the mall fireworks".
"And we may have even more surprises in store for the public, very soon," added the secretary.
Trump has occasionally featured fireworks during his political events, including at a campaign rally held this week in Panama City, Florida. The Trump administration is also taking action to expand fireworks celebrations elsewhere in the United States.
On Tuesday, Republican Kristi Noem, governor of Bernhardt and South Dakota, announced the conclusion of an agreement authorizing the Parks Department to resume the launch of fireworks at Mount Rushmore in 2020. This practice , which began in 1998, stopped in 2009 determined that a mountain pine beetle infestation had increased the risk that a fire would ignite in the area.
"I'm happy to report that THE BIG FIREWORKS, after many unsuccessful years, is coming back to beautiful Mount Rushmore, in South Dakota." Great job @GovKristiNoem and @SecBernhardt! #MAGA, "Trump said Tuesday.
Trump's focus on Independence Day reflects a more general pattern of focusing on the details of important projects for him personally. He became obsessed, for example, with the renovation of the FBI headquarters in Washington, asking for building specifications, floor plans and even furniture and carpet projects, current and former collaborators said. "He wanted to be the project leader," said a former senior administration official who requested anonymity to describe Oval Office meetings.
No president attended a July 4th celebration on the recent memory shopping mall, usually celebrating in place of the White House. Ronald Reagan took part in a "Starry Salvation in America" at the Jefferson Memorial on July 3, 1987, which featured an economic announcement, but the regular celebration of the fireworks was held the following day, as was the case. ; usual.
Reagan's unveiling of a "Charter of Economic Rights" took place at 10:00 am in the presence of the Vice President, the Secretary of State and other members of the administration. The White House's official newspaper estimated the crowd's size at 10,000, although Reagan said it was half. He then stated that he "did not remember having ever been hotter than me on this platform in the sun".
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