Bombers, tanks and protesters set for Trump’s ‘show of a lifetime.’
WASHINGTON — The military hardware is moving into place. So are the protesters. And, ever the showman, President Trump is promising the “show of a lifetime” on the National Mall for the Fourth of July.
Trump is marshaling tanks, bombers and other machinery of war for this year’s Independence Day celebration. It’s an event that is traditionally light on military might, and critics have accused the president of using America’s military as a political prop.
Trump pushed back Wednesday against complaints about the cost of the extravaganza, tweeting that the expenses “will be very little compared to what it is worth.”
Under White House direction, the Pentagon was scrambling to arrange for an Air Force B2 stealth bomber and other warplanes to conduct flyovers of the celebration on the National Mall. There will be Navy F35 and F18 fighter jets, the Navy Blue Angels aerial acrobatics team, Army and Coast Guard helicopters and Marine V22 Ospreys.
The Pentagon said it had made no overall estimate of the cost of the military’s participation. The Air Force said it costs $122,311 an hour to fly a B2 bomber, which is making the trip from its home at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and back. Officials said this will be considered a training event, with the cost already budgeted. They said the perhour flying cost of the F22 fighter is $65,128.
Two Bradley Fighting Vehicles were in place Wednesday near the Lincoln Memorial, where Trump will deliver a speech for the Independence Day celebration. In addition, two 60ton Army Abrams battle tanks were sent to Washington by rail to be positioned on or near the National Mall, to the dismay of District of Columbia officials.
Also scheduled to make appearances over the mall are the presidential Air Force One and Marine One aircraft.
Kevin Donahue, deputy mayor for public safety, said the city expects the federal government to pay for any damage to streets or bridges from moving the tanks. Civil engineers will assess the roads and bridges after July 4 to determine if any damage has been done.
A fundamental feature of the military’s role in American democracy is its insulation from politics, which is meant to ensure the armed forces’ loyalty to the Constitution rather than to an individual elected leader. That is why, for example, members of the military are not allowed to participate in political campaigns, and why Trump’s first defense secretary, Jim Mattis, slow-rolled a White House plan for a Veterans Day military parade last year.
Trump had wanted a military parade of tanks and other equipment in Washington after he watched a military parade on Bastille Day in Paris in 2017. Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor and Darlene Superville are Associated Press writers.