President Trump says “there will be nothing that America cannot do” as long as Americans remember the nation’s history and “never stop fighting for a better future.”
Trump delivered his 4th of July “Salute to America” speech Thursday from a stage erected on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a speech focusing largely on the role of the U.S. military in American history.
“Americans love our freedom and no one will ever take it away from us,” he declared.
Entering with the First Lady after a brief rainshower and a flyover of one of the jets that serve as Air Force One, the president covered many of the high points of 243 years of U.S. history — which he called “the epic tale of a great nation” — from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the civil rights movement, from the two World Wars to the Apollo 11 moon landing, 50 years ago this month.
Trump declared that, like the Apollo 11 astronauts on the moon, the U.S. “will plant the American flag on Mars.”
Uncharacteristically, he appeared to stick closely to his script.
He quoted Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.
He named each of the military services — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard — adding, “and very soon, the Space Force.”
The bulk of Trump’s speech was devoted to reciting accomplishments of the various services, followed by flyovers of aircraft from each, accompanied by their individual anthems. The president — who famously avoided service during the Vietnam war — clearly savored identifying each plane and helicopter by name.
Trump’s appearance closed with a performance of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and a demonstration of precision flying by the Navy’s Blue Angels.
As thousands of visitors gathered during the day, it was difficult to guess how many were there to remember and honor the signing of the Declaration of Independence 243 years ago, and how many were drawn to what the Washington Post called “a polarized Mall” by Trump’s unprecedented appearance — many identifiable by their MAGA caps.
Some, no doubt, were there for both.
“Outside of the secure area, on the other end of the National Mall, where PBS will be holding its annual Fourth of July concert — a separate event from the president’s rally — there appeared to be far fewer Trump supporters,” says the New York Times. “The president’s red MAGA hats were hard to find, and Trump 2020 T-shirts were nowhere to be found.”
The Trump show, resembling a campaign rally on steroids, included a display of military hardware — including a pair of 70-ton Abrams M1A2 main battle tanks.
Putting tanks and troops on display is “not the American way” to honor the military, said DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Thousands of service members bolstered the crowd — 5,000 tickets were provided by the Pentagon, according to CBS News’ David Martin — to create what the Times called “a made-for-television moment.” And a large area in front of the memorial on both sides of the reflecting pool, was set aside for VIPs, also a first for the Fourth. Many of those in that VIP area got tickets from the Republican National Committee.
“But Mr. Trump’s decision to turn [the] celebration into a kind of Trump-branded rally for America has drawn criticism from Democrats, top representatives of the city government and many military officials who believe the president is using the troops and their gear as political props,” the Times says.
There were, of course, protesters. The National Park Service granted a permit to demonstrators to place a giant “Trump baby” balloon on the Mall, less than a mile from the Lincoln Memorial.
Anti-Trump veterans handed out T-shirts depicting the Navy destroyer USS John McCain to troll Trump, who has insulted and belittled the late senator and former prisoner of war.
