Ethics experts warn of ‘partisan appropriation of a public event’ as RNC gives donors tickets to Trump’s Fourth of July event

Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C. have a long history of being adamantly nonpartisan and not including speeches by sitting presidents — that is, until 2019. In addition to the usual fireworks and Independence Day celebrations in the U.S. capital, this Fourth of July will include an event featuring a speech by President Donald Trump along with military displays. And the Republican National Committee (RNC), HuffPost reports, has been offering tickets to the event to major GOP donors.

Exactly what type of military display Trump’s event will feature remains unclear. Flyovers by military planes are planned, and according to the Washington Post, Trump has pushed for tanks and other military vehicles to be featured on the National Mall — although there are concerns that such vehicles could damage the roads and the grass.

Critics of Trump’s Fourth of July event are warning that it will, in effect, be a campaign rally for the president. And Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a history professor at New York University, noted that showing off military vehicles at such an event is characteristic of authoritarian dictatorships.

View the complete July 2 article by Alex Henderson on the AlterNet website here.