Donald Trump Turns Heads With July Fourth Event Announcement

President Donald Trump posted plans for a Fourth of July event on Sunday, asking Americans to “hold the date.”

The president announced his intention to host a massive Independence Day event in Washington, D.C. this year at the Lincoln Memorial. The president has been hinting at the event for almost a few weeks now, though this was the most clear-cut announcement so far.

“HOLD THE DATE! We will be having one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4th,” he wrote. “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!”

It is still unclear how the president’s proposed event would relate to Washington, D.C.’s existing parade, or whether he is simply looking to bolster the event. He previously mentioned it while speaking to reporters at a White House Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 12, according to the New York Post.

“We’re thinking about doing on the Fourth of July or thereabouts a parade, a ‘Salute to America’ parade. It’ll be a, really a gathering as opposed to a parade, I guess you’d have to say. Perhaps at the Lincoln Memorial, we’re looking at sites,” he said. “But we’re thinking about doing something which would become perhaps become a tradition… on July Fourth or July Fourth weekend.”

At the time, many took this as another plan for a military parade, which the president has asked for on many occasions. He first got the idea in 2017 while visiting Paris, France, during the country’s annual Bastille Day parade.

The idea has been shot down by Defense Department officials, who say that a military parade could cost the U.S. up to $92 million. Now, his “Salute to America” could be a different way of making it happen.

The president went on to post several more long tweets on Sunday morning. He updated his followers on his dealings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He offered insight into the denuclearization talks with North Korea and how President Xi is facilitating them.

After that, he turned his attention to his approval rating, citing Fox News’ Katie Pavlich. He finished by calling out the “Witch Hunt” investigations against him.

“Not bad considering I get the most unfair (BAD) press in the history of presidential politics! And don’t forget the Witch Hunt!” the president tweeted.