WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and the July Fourth celebration.The District of Columbia says it expects the federal government to pay for any damage to roads caused by military tanks and other heavy vehicles brought to city for President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July event.
Kevin Donahue, the city’s deputy mayor for public safety, tells The Associated Press that civil engineers will assess roads and bridges after the holiday to determine if there’s been damage.
Donahue says the city had little choice but to accept the tanks and other heavy equipment despite objections to Trump’s plan by the City Council.
Trump’s planned addition to the usual Fourth of July festivities includes displays of military hardware, flyovers by military aircraft, a Trump speech at the Lincoln Memorial and a longer-than-usual fireworks show.
__
10:59 a.m.
The military hardware is moving into place for President Donald Trump’s July Fourth celebration on the National Mall.
Two Bradley fighting vehicles were parked near the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday, and Trump is promising the “show of a lifetime.” In addition, two 60-ton 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, who worry about the damage to city streets.
Trump is pushing back against complaints about the cost of the extravaganza, saying the expenses “will be very little compared to what it is worth.”
Protesters are also arriving ahead of Thursday’s Independence Day events.
White House officials sought to counter the criticism by stressing that the president would deliver a patriotic speech at the Lincoln Memorial during an event that he has billed as honoring the U.S. armed forces.
