WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump plans a speech at the Lincoln Memorial and a possible Air Force One flyover for an amped-up Independence Day celebration in Washington, drawing criticism that he wants to transform a traditionally nonpartisan, national event into a political rally.
The annual celebration on the monument-lined National Mall typically draws hundreds of thousands of people to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. "We are deeply troubled that the president's involvement at the event will turn the longstanding, non-partisan celebration into a de facto campaign rally conducted at taxpayer expense that will serve to further divide rather than unify the nation," Democratic Senators Tom Udall, Patrick Leahy and Chris Van Hollen wrote in a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Tuesday.
Trump's appearance will add costs at a time when his administration is seeking to cut the budget of the National Park Service, which oversees the event. The District of Columbia, which will help police it, has nearly exhausted a fund to cover security costs related to the federal government.