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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2019 18:28:27 GMT
Admits tax fraud to save face and own the Libs. Brilliant. 👍 Calls the NYT piece inaccurate and fake. But precedes the claim of fakery by explaining how he did exactly what NYT was reporting. Fool. This is why Jong-Un and Vlad are always smiling whenever they see Trump. I worked in the real estate law back in the 80's and up until 1990 people were making tons of money until the bubble burst, so I dont know how he continually showed massive losses every year. He's got to be the absolute worst business person in the world to lose that kind of money. Meanwhile his father steadily made money yearly and only showed a loss on investing in one of his son's ventures. New York (& I assumed the world) all knew that his businesses flopped and that U.S. banks would no longer take a risk by loaning him money, which is why he had to turn to Deutsche Bank and other countries to establish lines of credit. Loser!!!
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Post by kmcginn on May 9, 2019 18:58:42 GMT
I have looked for a story about this and I can't find it.
Can you please post a link? I'd love to read up on it.
Thanks.
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Post by ntsf on May 9, 2019 19:00:01 GMT
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 9, 2019 19:00:16 GMT
sassyangel kmcginn'Mass purge’: Sarah Sanders implements new standard that disqualifies ‘almost the entire White House press corps’David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement DAVID BADASH, THE NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 08 MAY 2019 AT 21:29 ET White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has quietly implemented a new standard that has resulted in what one journalist calls “a mass purge” of “almost the entire White House press corps.” Huckabee Sanders revoked the press credentials, known as a “hard pass,” for all Washington Post reporters assigned to cover the White House, and many others. That would be six correspondents, and Dana Milbank, a veteran journalist who writes an opinion column at the Washington Post, and is the first to report this story. “After covering four presidents, I received an email informing me that Trump’s press office had revoked my White House credential,” Milbank writes in The Washington Post Wednesday evening. “It was part of a mass purge of ‘hard pass’ holders after the White House implemented a new standard that designated as unqualified almost the entire White House press corps, including all six of The Post’s White House correspondents,” Milbank continues. “White House officials then chose which journalists would be granted ‘exceptions.’ It did this over objections from news organizations and the White House Correspondents’ Association.” It is not known which reporters or news outlets were granted exceptions. “The Post requested exceptions for its six White House reporters and for me, saying that this access is essential to our work,” Milbank adds. “The White House press office granted exceptions to the other six, but not to me. I strongly suspect it’s because I’m a Trump critic. The move is perfectly in line with Trump’s banning of certain news organizations, including The Post, from his campaign events, and his threats to revoke White House credentials of journalists he doesn’t like.” What is this new standard the White House has concocted? Milbank reports it is “a clear — if nearly impossible — standard: No credentials to any journalist who is not in the building on at least 90 out of the previous 180 days — in other words, seven of every 10 workdays. The White House wouldn’t provide numbers, but it appears most of the White House press corps didn’t qualify for credentials under the new standard, including regulars for The Post and the Associated Press.” www.rawstory.com/2019/05/mass-purge-sarah-sanders-implements-new-standard-that-disqualifies-almost-the-entire-white-house-press-corps/
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 9, 2019 19:54:38 GMT
Let's see how this goes! BY JORDAN FABIAN - 05/09/19 01:51 PM EDT President Trump said Thursday he would allow Attorney General William Barr to decide whether Robert Mueller may testify to Congress, even as he unloaded on the special counsel over his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.“I’m going to leave that up to our very great attorney general,” Trump said when asked during an impromptu news conference at the White House about the possibility of Mueller testifying. The comments marked an apparent reversal from Sunday, when the president tweeted that Mueller "should not" appear before Congress. But White House advisers said this week that the president was merely voicing an opinion and not directing Mueller not to testify. ** But Trump appeared to hedge when describing the report’s findings, saying it showed “no collusion and, essentially, no obstruction."** thehill.com/homenews/administration/442953-trump-barr-should-make-call-on-mueller-testimonyUnless dt is now going to make Barr the bad guy................ we know he doesn't like to make the unpleasant decisions....
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 9, 2019 20:04:00 GMT
President Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is reportedly unlikely to comply with a subpoena from the Senate Intelligence Committee for his testimony about his communication with Russian officials.Reuters, citing two congressional sources, reported Thursday afternoon that Trump Jr. would likely refuse to comply with the subpoena by invoking his Fifth Amendment rights to avoid self-incrimination. The Hill has reached out to a representative to Trump Jr. for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The report comes as the president on Thursday defended his eldest son, saying he was "surprised" to see the GOP-led panel had subpoenaed Trump Jr., who had testified behind closed doors before the House and Senate Intelligence committees in late 2017 as part of their probes into Russian interference in the 2016 election. “Frankly, for my son, after being exonerated, to now get a subpoena to go again and speak again after close to 20 hours of telling everybody that would listen about a nothing meeting, yeah, I’m surprised,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday. ** thehill.com/homenews/administration/442982-trump-jr-unlikely-to-comply-with-senate-panel-subpoena-reportWhen was dtJr exonerated? ?
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Post by moretimeplease on May 10, 2019 0:00:43 GMT
sassyangel kmcginn 'Mass purge’: Sarah Sanders implements new standard that disqualifies ‘almost the entire White House press corps’David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement DAVID BADASH, THE NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 08 MAY 2019 AT 21:29 ET What is this new standard the White House has concocted? Milbank reports it is “a clear — if nearly impossible — standard: No credentials to any journalist who is not in the building on at least 90 out of the previous 180 days — in other words, seven of every 10 workdays. The White House wouldn’t provide numbers, but it appears most of the White House press corps didn’t qualify for credentials under the new standard, including regulars for The Post and the Associated Press.” www.rawstory.com/2019/05/mass-purge-sarah-sanders-implements-new-standard-that-disqualifies-almost-the-entire-white-house-press-corps/ WTH? Donald Trump himself wouldn’t meet that standard.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 10, 2019 0:05:42 GMT
sassyangel kmcginn 'Mass purge’: Sarah Sanders implements new standard that disqualifies ‘almost the entire White House press corps’David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement DAVID BADASH, THE NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 08 MAY 2019 AT 21:29 ET What is this new standard the White House has concocted? Milbank reports it is “a clear — if nearly impossible — standard: No credentials to any journalist who is not in the building on at least 90 out of the previous 180 days — in other words, seven of every 10 workdays. The White House wouldn’t provide numbers, but it appears most of the White House press corps didn’t qualify for credentials under the new standard, including regulars for The Post and the Associated Press.” www.rawstory.com/2019/05/mass-purge-sarah-sanders-implements-new-standard-that-disqualifies-almost-the-entire-white-house-press-corps/ WTH? Donald Trump himself wouldn’t meet that standard. Right you are!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 3:53:47 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 3:55:24 GMT
According to this, impeachment voting stops all other investigations?
No wonder (genius) Pelosi is urging slow and steady. She's on top of it - as usual.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 4:03:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 12:45:16 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 12:58:36 GMT
trump..
”Tariffs will make our Country MUCH STRONGER, not weaker. Just sit back and watch! In the meantime, China should not renegotiate deals with the U.S. at the last minute. This is not the Obama Administration, or the Administration of Sleepy Joe, who let China get away with “murder!”
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 14:09:53 GMT
Heather Long..
”The level of factually wrong info from the president this morning is high.
1) Americans are paying tariffs, not the Chinese 2) Trump has now raised taxes on Americans by $62.5 billion 3) Pretty much every economist predicts tariffs will hurt the economy”
trump..
”Talks with China continue in a very congenial manner - there is absolutely no need to rush - as Tariffs are NOW being paid to the United States by China of 25% on 250 Billion Dollars worth of goods & products. These massive payments go directly to the Treasury of the U.S....”
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 14:16:43 GMT
Kyle Griffin...
”We get the narrative from our leadership that we all got elected on health care and the economy and all of that," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, "but we also got elected to impose checks and balances on a president who is unchecked and unbalanced."
And the House just passed a bill to strengthen pre-existing conditions that is going no where in the Senate.
So it’s not like they aren’t passing legislature that they ran on.
Which means if health care is really that important, then you must vote for the Democrats to keep the majority in the House, give them the majority in the Senate and give them the White House. Otherwise nothing will get done.
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lizacreates
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,856
Aug 29, 2015 2:39:19 GMT
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Post by lizacreates on May 10, 2019 14:27:02 GMT
Calls the NYT piece inaccurate and fake. But precedes the claim of fakery by explaining how he did exactly what NYT was reporting. Fool. This is why Jong-Un and Vlad are always smiling whenever they see Trump. I worked in the real estate law back in the 80's and up until 1990 people were making tons of money until the bubble burst, so I dont know how he continually showed massive losses every year. He's got to be the absolute worst business person in the world to lose that kind of money. Meanwhile his father steadily made money yearly and only showed a loss on investing in one of his son's ventures. New York (& I assumed the world) all knew that his businesses flopped and that U.S. banks would no longer take a risk by loaning him money, which is why he had to turn to Deutsche Bank and other countries to establish lines of credit. Loser!!! Poor judgement, overspending, over-borrowing, refusing to do his homework, undisciplined, sucks at negotiating, eager to one-up everyone else, too fond of lying, prefers bluster to substance…on and on. And I suppose that when you have a father who’ll bail you out for every failure, then there’s no incentive to evaluate your mistakes and change.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 10, 2019 14:29:40 GMT
trump.. ”Talks with China continue in a very congenial manner - there is absolutely no need to rush - as Tariffs are NOW being paid to the United States by China of 25% on 250 Billion Dollars worth of goods & products. These massive payments go directly to the Treasury of the U.S....” Correct, so it looks good for him, but we will be paying the dollars out with our purchased on the raised prices on products! But the Treasury will be there for him to show off the numbers and for him raid for ........... his wall, that we have heard NOTHING about !!! There is no emergency!
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 10, 2019 14:34:06 GMT
Kyle Griffin... ”We get the narrative from our leadership that we all got elected on health care and the economy and all of that," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, "but we also got elected to impose checks and balances on a president who is unchecked and unbalanced." And the House just passed a bill to strengthen pre-existing conditions that is going no where in the Senate. So it’s not like they aren’t passing legislature that they ran on. Which means if health care is really that important, then you must vote for the Democrats to keep the majority in the House, give them the majority in the Senate and give them the White House. Otherwise nothing will get done. The House needs to provide continuing list of the bills they have passed! In days of needing proof they need to prove they are passing legislation but the Senate is sitting on their hands and ignoring their jobs! mcconnell too busy saying 'Case closed!"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 14:36:23 GMT
Ny AG James
“We're leading 20 states to urge Congress to reject the Trump Admin’s proposal to cut the EPA's budget by $2.8B, including $1.4B in funds to states & tribes.
Congress must stand up for Americans' health & the future of the environment & reject this extreme & dangerous budget.”
I suspect if trump had his way, he would jettison both New York and California from the United States.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 15:38:48 GMT
Rudy Giuliani..
”Explain to me why Biden shouldn’t be investigated if his son got millions from a Russian loving crooked Ukrainian oligarch while He was VP and point man for Ukraine. Ukrainians are investigating and your fellow Dems are interfering. Election is 17 months away.Let’s answer it now”
Anyone surprised this would start to happen?
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Post by iamkristinl16 on May 10, 2019 15:56:58 GMT
I've had lots of 'WTF' moments over the past few years, but this legit scares me, and makes me want to cry. If we lose the power of a free press to report on the ACTUAL events going on in the Executive Branch, and access to the people in it, along with all of the OTHER authoritarian moves the executive branch has made, we really ARE a banana republic, aren't we? I heard some expert this morning on MSNBC say 'no, I don't think we're in a Constitutional crisis until people get guns involved...' Really?!? WTF, dude? The executive branch no longer recognizes the other two branches of government's authority as equal co-branches of government!!! If THAT'S not the DEFINITION of a Constitutional crisis, then I don't know what IS!!! ^^^ but I have heard Trumpsters actually say, "he's just being a savvy businessman, using the loopholes available to him! if we don't want people to do that, it's not his fault- close the loopholes!" As if the man continually taking, taking, taking from the country (and from ALL of US, in essence) and not putting anything back into it like we all are 'supposed' to do is perfectly okay with them. You would think. Let’s see what Trump actually did with the bow-topped tax law passed. Instead of closing the real estate loopholes, they were made more generous. Add to that changes to the top individual tax rate, the pass-through income tax rate and the estate tax, all, of course, favoring Trump Org and family. There were two loopholes that people were saying were closed. Misleading. He conveniently included exceptions to those to enable the real estate industry to continue as before. Let’s talk about being “savvy.” This is exactly how Fox & Friends spun it – that’s it’s actually impressive to have had that much money to lose. That losing $1.17 billion in ten years is not a big deal when you're like Trump. No mention of losing Trump Shuttle, a yacht, Grand Hyatt, NJ Generals, and three casinos to banks and other lenders, and nothing said about his companies’ six bankruptcies. No mention of Trump’s pump-and-dump schemes or any of the other real estate scams he pulled. No mention of the hundreds upon hundreds scammed and left holding the bag. This why we’re eff’d. Because people watch and believe this sh*t. Exactly. They said that it was amazing that he took those risks and tried new things, even if they didn’t work. If I lost my job and all of my income for a year, it wouldn’t mean that I wouldn’t have to pay taxes for several more years. Why does it work that way for people who make a lot of money?
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 10, 2019 17:19:09 GMT
Rudy Giuliani.. ”Explain to me why Biden shouldn’t be investigated if his son got millions from a Russian loving crooked Ukrainian oligarch while He was VP and point man for Ukraine. Ukrainians are investigating and your fellow Dems are interfering. Election is 17 months away.Let’s answer it now” Anyone surprised this would start to happen? Bold mine................. Can I say Manafort!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 17:27:46 GMT
FiveThirtyEight..
”The 4 Types of Constitutional Crises: 1. The Constitution doesn’t say what to do. 2. The Constitution’s meaning is in question. 3. The Constitution tells us what to do, but it’s not politically feasible. 4. Institutions themselves fail.”
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Post by OntarioScrapper on May 10, 2019 20:16:12 GMT
I'm guessing these people don't like in cities? I spent a good deal of my time in multicultural cities. Unless someone is directly speaking TO me, why should I care what languages are being spoken around me? Are they just being paranoid?
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 10, 2019 22:14:50 GMT
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Friday estimated that more than 55,000 children who are legal U.S. residents or citizens could be displaced by a Trump administration plan to expel undocumented immigrants from public housing, according to The Washington Post. The proposed rule, published Friday, would tighten regulations on undocumented immigrants who have been granted access to subsidized housing, which HUD Secretary Ben Carson said last month would “make certain our scarce public resources help those who are legally entitled to it.” The agency's review found that half of those facing eviction under the plan are children legally qualified for the public assistance, the Post reported. Current regulations allow families of mixed immigration status to receive federal housing subsidies as long as one member of the family is eligible. The new rule, proposed by White House aide and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller, would require every member of the household to be of “eligible immigration status.” The HUD analysis shows that roughly 25,000 households, representing about 108,000 people, have at least one person who would be ineligible.Among the mixed households — the majority of which are in California, Texas and New York — 76,000 people, including 55,000 children, are legally eligible for federally subsidized housing. “HUD expects that fear of the family being separated would lead to prompt evacuation by most mixed households,” the analysis said. “Temporary homelessness could arise for a household, if they are unable to find alternative housing.” ** The plan proposes “less costly” options to limit the “adverse impact of the transition on eligible children,” including allowing mixed-status families to stay in subsidized housing and only applying the proposal to new households seeking federal funds. ** thehill.com/homenews/administration/443070-trump-admin-plan-to-kick-undocumented-immigrants-out-of-public25,000 households..... are the HUD estimates! This out of millions of households!! I was thinking the other day that we hadn't heard from Miller lately. I guess he was busy figuring this out to screw the kids more!
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 10, 2019 22:20:21 GMT
I'm guessing these people don't like in cities? I spent a good deal of my time in multicultural cities. Unless someone is directly speaking TO me, why should I care what languages are being spoken around me? Are they just being paranoid? Paranoid yes. Wondering if they will use the 7+ languages Buttigieg speaks against him?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 22:35:31 GMT
You would think. Let’s see what Trump actually did with the bow-topped tax law passed. Instead of closing the real estate loopholes, they were made more generous. Add to that changes to the top individual tax rate, the pass-through income tax rate and the estate tax, all, of course, favoring Trump Org and family. There were two loopholes that people were saying were closed. Misleading. He conveniently included exceptions to those to enable the real estate industry to continue as before. Let’s talk about being “savvy.” This is exactly how Fox & Friends spun it – that’s it’s actually impressive to have had that much money to lose. That losing $1.17 billion in ten years is not a big deal when you're like Trump. No mention of losing Trump Shuttle, a yacht, Grand Hyatt, NJ Generals, and three casinos to banks and other lenders, and nothing said about his companies’ six bankruptcies. No mention of Trump’s pump-and-dump schemes or any of the other real estate scams he pulled. No mention of the hundreds upon hundreds scammed and left holding the bag. This why we’re eff’d. Because people watch and believe this sh*t. Exactly. They said that it was amazing that he took those risks and tried new things, even if they didn’t work. If I lost my job and all of my income for a year, it wouldn’t mean that I wouldn’t have to pay taxes for several more years. Why does it work that way for people who make a lot of money?Because they buy the laws. Too many Americans are too stupid to either understand that or care. They refuse to vote for pols who campaign on campaign finance. They "don't care about politics". Meanwhile the country their children will inherit will be behind the rest of the developed world by eons in 20 years - because Americans' inattention and greed did her in.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 22:41:41 GMT
Rudy Giuliani.. ”Explain to me why Biden shouldn’t be investigated if his son got millions from a Russian loving crooked Ukrainian oligarch while He was VP and point man for Ukraine. Ukrainians are investigating and your fellow Dems are interfering. Election is 17 months away.Let’s answer it now” Anyone surprised this would start to happen? It's DISGUSTING!!! Should we begin to look into Trump's childrens' affairs? ? And, how about the Supreme Court Justice Kennedy's son who happened to be Trump's top banker?? Nothing wrong with that, eh?? Somehow Justice Kennedy "decided" that it was time to step down. Stinks to me!
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Post by revirdsuba99 on May 10, 2019 23:57:35 GMT
Rudy Giuliani.. ”Explain to me why Biden shouldn’t be investigated if his son got millions from a Russian loving crooked Ukrainian oligarch while He was VP and point man for Ukraine. Ukrainians are investigating and your fellow Dems are interfering. Election is 17 months away.Let’s answer it now” Anyone surprised this would start to happen? It's DISGUSTING!!! Should we begin to look into Trump's childrens' affairs? ? And, how about the Supreme Court Justice Kennedy's son who happened to be Trump's top banker?? Nothing wrong with that, eh?? Somehow Justice Kennedy "decided" that it was time to step down. Stinks to me! Barr's ds work in the WH or his dd just left Justice... I might just have the genders wrong....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2019 0:27:43 GMT
Washington Post..
“Trump takes over Fourth of July celebration, changing its location and inserting himself into the program”
“President Trump has effectively taken charge of the nation’s premier Fourth of July celebration in Washington, moving the gargantuan fireworks display from its usual spot on the Mall to be closer to the Potomac River and making tentative plans to address the nation from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, according to top administration officials.
The president’s starring role has the potential to turn what has long been a nonpartisan celebration of the nation’s founding into another version of a Trump campaign rally. Officials said it is unclear how much the changes may cost, but the plans have already raised alarms among city officials and some lawmakers about the potential impact of such major alterations to a time-honored and well-organized summer tradition.
Fireworks on the Mall, which the National Park Service has orchestrated for more than half a century, draw hundreds of thousands of Americans annually and mark one of the highlights of the city’s tourist season. The event has been broadcast live on television since 1947, and since 1981 has been accompanied by a free concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol featuring high-profile musicians and a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra.
The new event, to be called “A Salute to America,” will shift the fireworks launch to West Potomac Park, nearly a mile southwest of its usual location near the Washington Monument. In addition to a possible address by Trump, the location may feature a second stage of entertainment apart from the performers at the Capitol, officials said.
The revised Independence Day celebration is the culmination of two years of attempts by Trump to create a major patriotic event centered on him and his supporters, including failed efforts to mount a military parade modeled on the Bastille Day celebration in France. The new event has become a top priority for new Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who Trump tasked with the job three months ago, officials said.
The president has received regular briefings on the effort in the Oval Office and has gotten involved in the minutiae of the planning — and initially argued that the fireworks should be launched from a barge in the Potomac River, administration aides said. The president has shown interest in the event that he often does not exhibit for other administration priorities, the aides added. To bad he doen’tvpay That much attention to his daily security briefings.
I think the president is excited about the idea, and we’re working hard on it, and I think it could be very, very meaningful,” Bernhardt said in an interview. “The president loves the idea, as probably all Americans do, of celebrating America on the Fourth of July, or thereabouts.” Of course he likes it, he is making all about him. What’s not for him to like?
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who chairs the House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, said in an interview that she is concerned that Trump could polarize what is typically a unifying event for Americans. You think?
It’s not about any one president. It’s about how our nation came to be, because of a hardy band of brave men and women,” McCollum said. “It’s not about any one person, it’s about ‘We, the people.’ And if the president moves to make this about him, I think he will find the America public disappointed and angered by it.”
An official in the administration of D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said federal officials have informed the city government of potential changes to the July Fourth celebration, but that the logistics and cost of the altered format had not been finalized.
The official — who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss preparations for the event — said the city was concerned about moving the fireworks and about the logistics of the president traveling to the Mall to address the crowds, which could cut off the flow of visitors to and from nearby Metro stations. You think trump cares. I mean really.
We have a lot of people come to the Fourth of July. Logistically, over the years, the kinks have been worked out,” the official said. “We don’t want to throw off what already works.”
The president’s idea for a Trump-influenced July Fourth celebration began within hours of attending a lavish Bastille Day parade in Paris in 2017, former aides say. Before Air Force One took off to return from France, Trump came to the back of the staff cabin and laid out the particulars of a proposed military parade in Washington — down to the types of tanks that he wanted in the streets and the kind of aircraft he wanted to fly overhead.
The idea later shifted to become a Veterans Day-linked parade instead, before collapsing altogether last August as costs for the potential event ballooned. Trump blamed local officials in canceling the event.
Then, this past February, Trump announced on Twitter that Americans should “HOLD THE DATE!” on July 4 for a “Major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favorite President, me!”
There have been no public announcements since then, but federal officials are working furiously to adjust plans for an event that has been largely unchanged for at least two decades.
It is unclear whether the changes to the Mall celebration will increase costs for taxpayers. Launching the fireworks last year cost roughly $250,000, a figure that does not include the cost of security, portable toilets and fencing. The D.C. official said the city would expect the federal government to pay for any new costs incurred by changes to the celebration.
In justifying Trump’s changes, Interior officials argued that moving the fireworks launching site from the north and south sides of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — where it has been located for at least 18 years — to West Potomac Park will allow more for visitors.
National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said the agency typically has to close an area around the Reflecting Pool for about 10 days before the event, cutting off access to one of the Mall’s most popular sites.
Bernhardt said that by altering the launch site, “that is that’s going to be a significant expansion of space that’s available to watch the fireworks from the Mall.”
“And we might even have some more surprises in store for the public, very very soon,” the secretary added.
Trump has sometimes featured fireworks at his political events, including at a campaign rally this week in Panama City, Fla. The Trump administration is also taking steps to expand fireworks celebrations elsewhere in the United States.
[Trump loves a military parade — it’s one reason he’s heading to Paris]
On Tuesday, Bernhardt and South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R) announced they had reached an agreement allowing the Park Service to resume launching fireworks at Mount Rushmore in 2020. That practice, which began in 1998, stopped in 2009 after Park Service officials determined that a pine beetle infestation had heightened the risk of a forest fire igniting in the area.
“I am pleased to inform you that THE BIG FIREWORKS, after many years of not having any, are coming back to beautiful Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Great work @govkristinoem and @secbernhardt! #MAGA,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.
Trump’s focus on Independence Day reflects a broader pattern of focusing on the details of projects important to him personally. He grew obsessed, for example, with the renovation of FBI headquarters in Washington, asking for building specs, floor plans and even furniture and carpet schemes, current and former aides said. “He wanted to be the project manager,” a former senior administration official said.
No president has participated in a Fourth of July celebration on the Mall in recent memory, usually celebrating instead at the White House. Ronald Reagan participated in a “Star Spangled Salute to America” at the Jefferson Memorial on July 3, 1987, which showcased an economic announcement, but the regular fireworks celebration happened the next day as usual.
Reagan’s unveiling of an “Economic Bill of Rights” took place at 10 a.m., with the vice president, secretary of state and other members of the administration in attendance. The official White House diary estimated the crowd size at 10,000, though Reagan said it was half that. He later said that he “didn’t remember ever being hotter than I was on that platform in the sun.”
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