Donald Trump is breaking precedent once again by hijacking the US capital's Independence Day celebration to celebrate himself with a vainglorious dictator-style military parade.
The Washington Post is reporting that National Park Service acting director P. Daniel Smith--that's right, another "acting" member of Trump's administration--is being forced to appease the man-baby.
The ongoing negotiations over whether to use massive military hardware, such as Abrams tanks or Bradley Fighting Vehicles , as a prop for Trump’s “Salute to America” is just one of many unfinished details when it comes to the celebration planned for Thursday, according to several people briefed on the plan, who requested anonymity to speak frankly.
Ever since Trump attended France’s Bastille Day celebration in 2017, he has longed for the same treatment in America, but the celebration will be all about Trump's ego and not the country itself.
Earlier presidents have rightly avoided making July 4 a political prop. But Trump cannot help himself when he sees a chance for a massive photo-op at the expense of our country and taxpayers.
And by the way, the roads in Washington, DC were never meant to carry 60-ton tanks.
In the history of the country, U.S. presidents have celebrated July 4 of many different ways but they've never staged a fascist-style military parade with a dedicated speech to aid in their reelection campaigns.
Zach Ford writes, "According to presidential historian Michael Beschloss, Eisenhower was of the opinion that “we, the United States, are seeking peace. We are the pre-eminent power on earth. For us to try to imitate what the Soviets are doing in Red Square would make us look weak.”
This whole "promotion" of Trump with a backdrop of Independence Day seems very weak, indeed.
