President Trump plans to mark July 4 by giving a “Salute to America” at the Lincoln Memorial.
HOLD THE DATE! We will be having one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4th. It will be called “A Salute To America” and will be held at the Lincoln Memorial. Major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favorite President, me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2019
City officials and U.S. Park Police still await details on his speech, but have told the Washington Post it will require a heavy increase in security and logistical challenges.
“We plan on having a safe event,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told the DCist. “You’ll see a lot of our police resources, our Fire and EMS resources, downtown, but we’re also policing and taking care of public safety issues across the city.”
Organizers for “A Capitol Fourth,” who have been putting the celebration together for 39 years, tweeted May 14, “This concert is unaffiliated with any other July 4th celebrations.”
— A Capitol Fourth (@July4thPBS) May 14, 2019
“The president can speak at any event that he wants to speak at,” Bowser said. “And my great hope would be that he recognizes that the event is a unifying event that celebrates the birthday of our nation.”
City officials also added that this will cause more road closures and affect the D.C. Metro.
“For right now, people will see a very similar event to what they saw in years past: fireworks, the Capitol Fourth concert, a parade in the afternoon and an additional event added to the day’s schedule,” said Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service.
Trump is one of the first presidents in recent memory to participate in the celebration on the National Mall.
The administration also has plans in place to move the fireworks from the Mall to West Potomac Park.
