Despite concerns about the spread of coronavirus, President Trump said he is planning to hold another Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall this summer.
“On July 4, we’ll be doing what we had at the Mall,” Trump said Wednesday at a coronavirus task force briefing. “We’re going to be doing it. Last year was a tremendous success, and I would imagine we’ll do it, hopefully I can use the term ‘forever.’ That was a great success.”
Trump said that this year attendees will most likely still be following social distancing guidelines—standing six feet apart or more—and noted that attendance could be down to as little as 25 percent of last year’s, which was dubbed the Salute to America, and included displays of armored vehicles and military plane flyovers.
The president announced in February 2019 that he would be taking over that year’s July 4 celebration, which the National Park Service has conducted on the National Mall for more than 50 years. The event was polarizing, drawing both supporters of the president and protesters, some of whom argued the event had the trademarks of a campaign rally. However, the President made no mention of 2020 candidates or polarizing topics during his speech, which he delivered from the Lincoln Memorial despite the pouring rain. Protesters brought a giant baby Trump balloon (though it stayed grounded) and some lit flags on fire, while other attendees wore Make America Great Again merchandise. Though NPS does not share crowd estimates for events like these, our closest indication of attendance is Metro ridership, which was up 1.7 percent over the previous year’s July 4.
Trump’s remarks this week come as some local governments are beginning to announce plans for reopening states and cities, though many mass gatherings across the country have been postponed or canceled well into the summer. In D.C., that includes the Capital Fringe Festival, scheduled for July. Just last week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser extended D.C.’s state of emergency, which includes a ban on gatherings of 10 or more people, to May 15.
Experts warn that loosening restrictions too soon could cause to a spike in new COVID-19 cases, and earlier this week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that while the city would still hold its annual July 4 fireworks display, the details remain unclear.
The National Park Service confirmed to DCist that as of now, they are still expecting to hold an Independence Day event on the Mall this year. In an emailed statement, NPS spokesperson Mike Litterst wrote, “As President Trump mentioned, the Department of the Interior and NPS are continuing to plan for a Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall.”
