The Republican National Committee applied for a permit to conduct a fireworks display over the Washington Monument after President Trump accepts the GOP nomination next week.
Trump is expected to deliver his speech on the last day of the Republican National Convention on Aug. 27 from the White House South Lawn. The application for the fireworks show, which an RNC official confirmed to the Washington Examiner, was received by the National Park Service on Friday.
The application was still being processed as of Monday afternoon. The application indicates the RNC plans to hold the fireworks display at around 11:30 p.m., according to CBS News, and notes the event might attract “First Amendment demonstrators.”
The White House became the location of choice after the coronavirus pandemic uprooted plans for the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, where some events are still taking place, and Jacksonville, Florida.
Critics argue Trump delivering his speech on the South Lawn is a troubling break from presidential norms and would at least pose legal concerns for other White House officials restricted by the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees other than the president and vice president from engaging in political activity while on duty.
Other locations, such as the Trump International Hotel in D.C. or Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, have been floated around as alternative sites for the speech, but Trump told the New York Post last week he was nearly certain he would be accepting the nomination at the White House.
“I’ll probably be giving my speech at the White House because it is a great place,” Trump said. “It’s a place that makes me feel good, it makes the country feel good.”
Anthony Leonardi contributed to this report.
