Washington, D.C.’s Fourth of July celebrations have played out roughly the same way for decades.
This year, though, the longstanding security, logistics, and crowd management practices on the National Mall are being recrafted in the image of President Donald Trump. The nation’s birthday party won’t be a first-come first-serve egalitarian gawp in 2019. It’ll have tiered, ticketed entry, some form of militaristic performance art, and a speech by the divisive and twitchy current occupant of the country’s highest political office.
Trump’s less-than tickety-boo plans include cordoning off a special “VIP” area stretching from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to halfway down the length of the Reflecting Pool. The velvet-rope ethos is an essential part of the gaudy, ostentatious luxury image Trump long ago made into his own personal brand. But it’s alien to D.C.’s fireworks night, which has traditionally been a partisanship-free occasion.
View the complete June 30 article by Alan Pyke on the ThinkProgress website here.