Trump pushed for changes to the July 4th celebration on the National Mall.

President Donald Trump has begun planning a redesign of the traditional July 4 fireworks in Washington, DC, the Washington Post reported on Friday. Some critics have already expressed concern that Trump could turn this non-partisan celebration into a sort of rally of the Trump campaign.

The new plans are worrying local and federal officials who have organized the carefully organized celebration, which has remained virtually unchanged for more than two decades. The celebration, called "Hi to America" ​​instead of the traditional "Shopping Mall Fireworks," would displace the National Shopping Center's fireworks and include a Trump address in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Trump has been very involved in planning, reports the newspaper, receiving regular briefings on the subject – an event of remarkable interest from a president renowned for ignoring intelligence briefings.

The president has already spoken of a great patriotic and military feast. His fixation on this idea began when, two years ago, he attended a military parade for July 14 in Paris. According to the Post, even before Air Force One left for France, Trump returned to the staff cabin and shared his vision of a military parade in the nation's capital. He even specified the types of tanks and aircraft that he wanted to see appear in the parade.

The planned costs for the celebration became too high and the plan was dropped – Trump blamed local officials – in August. But in February, Trump tweeted this "[w]We will have one of the largest gatherings in the history of Washington, DC, on July 4th "and would include" entertainment and an address by your favorite president, me! ". According to the Post, he commissioned Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. with the task of organizing the event at this time. It's become a top priority for Bernhardt.

The celebration, which has been televised since 1947, also traditionally includes a concert with notable artists and the National Symphony Orchestra on the western lawn of the US Capitol. According to the Post, no president of recent history participated in the July 4th celebration in the mall. Some have instead chosen to make other personal or political addresses separately from the White House.