Trump Announced a New July 4th Celebration That Sounds Just Like Every Independence Day Ever
President Trump asked to Americans to "hold the date" of July 4th-a federal holiday already in most calendars-for the White House's planned "Salute to America." In a Twitter message published Sunday, the president sketched the broad outlines of his new Independence Day celebration, which sounds pretty similar to standard issue July 4th festivities.
According to CNN, the capital has its own Independence Day tradition, and there's no word yet whether the "Salute to America" would augment or replace it:
Washington, of course, already hosts major 4th of July parade. Called America's National Independence Day Parade, it goes through the heart of downtown Washington, consisting "of invited bands, fife and drum corps, floats, military and specialty units, giant balloons, equestrian, drill teams, VIP's, national dignitaries and celebrity participants," according to the parade's website. Other smaller parades take place across Washington's neighborhoods.
Trump has expressed his desire to create a major patriotic event for some time. After attending Paris’s Bastille Day military parade with French leader Emmanuel Macron in 2017, the U.S. President said he wanted to stage his own similar event. "To a large extent because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July 4 in Washington down Pennsylvania Avenue," he told Reuters at the time. "We’re actually looking into it."
The White House first attempted to mount its parade for Veteran’s Day last year, but later cancelled the event, citing high costs. "The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it,” wrote Trump on Twitter at the time. "When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it."
If the new 4th of July celebrations aren't similarly thwarted, the president may have some trouble booking entertainment, as his administration has struggled to find popular musicians willing to associate themselves with the Trump White House. Entertainers like Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, and 2 Chainz passed on the chance to perform at Trump's inauguration, an event that finally mustered a tepid billing featuring 3 Doors Down, Toby Keith, and Tony Orlando.
Of course, Twitter had a field day with Trump's message, with "Hold the Date," "4th of July," and "Independence Day" all trending Sunday morning.
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