President Trump on Twitter early Sunday announced his plans for a big Independence Day party in Washington this year, pledging a personal appearance and preemptively declaring the event one of the city's largest gatherings ever:
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
The one truly new element of Trump's plans appears to be his own speech. Washington already has annual fireworks displays for the Fourth of July, as well as entertainment including the National Independence Day Parade and "A Capitol Fourth," an outdoor concert with performances from military bands, celebrities, the National Symphony Orchestra.
Trump previously teased the possibility of an Independence Day event earlier this month, apparently as a substitute for the military parade idea which has fascinated him since a 2017 trip to Paris — and which comes with a $92 million price tag.
