The U.S. Department of the Interior released details Wednesday regarding this year’s Independence Day Celebration in the nation’s capital, including a new military-themed event hosted by President Donald J. Trump.
There will be four separate events starting with the National Independence Day Parade at 11:45 a.m. and ending with a fireworks display at 9:07. Trump will deliver remarks during the Salute to America event at Lincoln Memorial starting at 6:30 p.m., which will honor the nation’s five military branches. The annual "A Capitol Fourth Concert" featuring the National Symphony Orchestra concert will start at 8 p.m at the West Lawn at the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt says the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the World War II Memorial, and Constitution Gardens will re-open to the public to watch the fireworks and president’s remarks. Those areas closed on Independence Day in previous years due to the old fireworks safety zone.
"There is no more appropriate place to celebrate the anniversary of American independence than among the Nation’s monuments on the National Mall and the memorials to the service men and women who have defended the United States for the past 243 years," said Bernhardt.
Trump has advertised his Salute to America event for months.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1099651121088466946
"HOLD THE DATE!" he tweeted in February. "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!"