Trump's 4th of July celebration will have a VIP section and tanks
The Fourth of July celebration President Trump is apparently producing for the National Mall in Washington, D.C., will have a VIP section and yes, it will have tanks. An Associated Press photographer saw two M1A1 Abrams tanks and two Bradley Fighting Vehicles at a railyard on the edge of Washington on Monday, transported up from Fort Stewart, Georgia, for the event, a U.S. official told AP.
Trump told reporters Monday that "we're going to have some tanks stationed outside" in "certain areas," adding, "we have the brand new Sherman tanks and we have the brand new Abram [sic] tanks." The U.S. military has not used Sherman tanks since the 1950s. A plant in Lima, Ohio, is refurbishing Abrams tanks.
Engineers are examining the Mall this week to see if the Abrams tanks, which weigh more than 60 tons, will harm the site or the rooms under the Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Post reports. Extended fireworks displays and planned flyovers by Air Force One, the Navy Blue Angels, and perhaps other military aircraft will freeze air traffic to and from Reagan National Airport for two hours on Thursday. The Pentagon hasn't said how much any of this will cost.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It's unclear how VIP tickets are being apportioned, though HuffPost reports that the Republican National Committee and Trump political appointees have been offering tickets to major GOP donors. The Democratic National Committee says it wasn't given any tickets to hand out. "He's going to have tanks out there, it's going to be cool," one RNC fundraiser who declined to take proffered tickets joked to HuffPost. "He wants to have a parade like they have in Moscow or China or North Korea."
No president has participated in the capital's Independence Day event in decades, and there's some concern Trump will inject partisan politics into his speech, as he often does. One senior White House official told HuffPost that Trump's "speech will not be political," but a White House aide said there's not much Trump's staff can do if he veers off-script, saying, "We can only do what we can do."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The art world and motherhood: the end of a final taboo?
Talking Point Hettie Judah's new touring exhibition offers a 'riveting riposte' to old cliches
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas migrant law in limbo after Supreme Court OK
Speed Read The law has been blocked again, mere hours after the Supreme Court allowed the state to arrest migrants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published