Trump turning 4th Of July into a Political Rally

Dont be fooled....the entire reason for it is to keep protesters away from Trump and the tv cameras.

There are multiple reasons, R1, including feeding Trump's ego.

Trump's 4th of July celebration on the National Mall.

The 4th of July is to celebrate America. This is all wrong.

I hope there are massive protesters who disrupt and boo his speech so no one can hear him.

He's a sad excuse for a President.

Maybe nobody shows up!

I feel bad for the PBS people who put it together every year.

You will claim because of his presidency drew the largest crowd ever in the history of the entire universe

According to the latest from the Washington Post, R4, Trump is said to be planning to reserve the bulk of the locations nearest him for his special guest and those willing to part with a sizable chunk of money. This has the triple effect of lots of money, being surrounded by sycophants, and pushing the protesters far away.

Carole King tweeted this message to her fans.

I'd love to say "this will backfire!", but it NEVER DOES with this criminal! The public just gets more craven and ignorant and they slop up Trump's shit like hogs!!

For his private gathering, it means the Lincoln Memorial will be closed to the public. On the 4th of July!

Of course the press will go crazy and only cover Trump's rally.

Someone has applied for a permit to fly the Baby tRump balloon in DC that day. He hates that balloon -- and it will be difficult for Orange Cheatolini to avoid seeing it.

Let Trump and the deplorables have their fun. It will all be over soon. And if they thought Obama was "bad", wait 'til they see what a post-Trump liberal/progressive/socialist administration looks like.

Will be ready for the after party excitement.

Tanks!!??

Where the fuck are they going to bring in tanks????

DC police needs to say no to this shit

Washington Post: Trump asks for military tanks on the Mall as part of grandiose July Fourth event

This event needs to be boycotted. Right-wing groups will show. CNN, NBC, ABC, CBE, should not give it coverage. They will cover it, of course. Having tanks and other armoured military vehicles is coup d'é-tat messaging.

The tanks will wreck the roads if they travel on them.

The D.C. government folks already told him that the damn tanks would ruin the roads. But he's fixated on having a Russian military style parade like Vlad. Or China. Or North Korea.

He wants to be a fascist dictator

He wants the trappings, anyway. His ideal world is that he's the King of the U.S. All the pageantry, money, and publicity with little to no need for working other than going out and basking in the glory of your population worshiping you.

I hope a tornado hits him and leaves nothing behind but a greasy smear.

Better yet, a tank runs him over.

It's not impossible that he may be hit with out of control fireworks.

Bad weather forecast for Washington DC and the 4th of July.

Trump confirms there will be tanks in his Fourth of July celebration....

He wants his fucking devotion parade

The tanks are going to be “stationed” someplace. Sounds like they’ll be carried in on a trailer.

Do these parades typically have active troops? I have no doubt this one will.

He wants the tanks around the Lincoln Memorial. DC government is still saying no to tanks. I don't see how this ends well.

Nothing says the Declaration of Independence like.....

Clearly you are comfortable with your hand and penis-size unlike Twitler.

Leslie Uggams will be singing "Joan Is Busting Out All Over."

Those "free" VIP seating tickets available to the public? They’re being "given away" by the Republican National Committee to major donors.

"Jordan Libowitz, of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said that the event could create legal problems if the federal government is involved in staging what, in essence, becomes a political event benefiting Trump."

“This sounds less and less like a government event and more and more like a campaign rally. Since it doesn’t look like the RNC is picking up the bill, this could lead to some serious legal issues,” Libowitz said.

In my home town, the fireworks are fired over a body of water. Is that necessary? I grew up assuming it was, out of an abundance of caution, to avoid fires.

Can’t the PBS folks just cancel the whole thing? Maybe relocate to Old Towne or something.

What will our lovely First Lady be wearing?

The tanks might be too heavy for any bridges, too.

I know what I will be wearing.

There are photos of tanks on some kind of flatbeds. They will be towed and set as background?

Trump already owes DC $7 million for the inauguration. No one knows what this will cost? 92 degrees and thunderstorms forecast. I don't think there will be an actual parade.

Here's a link to tanks, celebration details from local DC tv.

Here are the details...tanks are already there?

Sorry, I posted twice. But the first post didn't show up at first?

the GOP is giving away tickets to big donors for the prime locations

We are preparing some lovely weather for this event. Forecast says we will have end-of-August-in-DC levels of humidity, highs in the 90s, and good chance of rain from 4-10 PM. For those who have never experienced DC in late summer, it makes you want to jump into the polluted Potomac and drown yourself.

Sherman tanks?

How about a 1776 style fife & drum corp and a replica of the Continental Army?

It is suppose to celebrate the Declaration of Independence, not the Battle of the Bulge.

Brand spanking NEW Sherman tanks at that. The man really is a moron.

USA Today: Tanks, flag burning and the Trump baby balloon: What we know about the July Fourth parade

Poor Carol King! It's Too Late Baby

Hopefully it will rain if the forecast is correct. Fucking egomaniac dictator Trump.

Tornado! Tornado!

Or a Sharknado would be awesome!

Please, please! Please send a Sharknado to DC tomorrow right to the VIP section at that Nuremberg rally.

Washington Post: White House gives tickets to Trump’s July Fourth extravaganza to GOP donors

The prestigious July 4th thing for donors and VIPs used to be getting a ticket to the White House lawn party and (if you were really special) an invite to watch the fireworks from the balcony with the President. Now that’s swapped for standing around on the Mall with deplorables? Fun...

[quote] "Jordan Libowitz, of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said that the event could create legal problems if the federal government is involved in staging what, in essence, becomes a political event benefiting Trump." “This sounds less and less like a government event and more and more like a campaign rally. Since it doesn’t look like the RNC is picking up the bill, this could lead to some serious legal issues,” Libowitz said.

So? Nothing will be done about it. This man has never been held responsible for a single thing he has ever done in his entire life and it won't start happening now. Yes, it will be a $100 million re-election rally paid by YOU.

With any luck it'll get rained out. The weather here is forecast to be dreadful, which it often is in early July in D.C.

Would love to see one of our torrential thunderstorms hit the city just as the Liar-and-Thief is about to speak. Finally, bad weather that the gays would LOVE to take credit for.

Trump will debut his new dictator military uniform look.

He's shifting millions from the National Park Service budget for this event. And millions more from the military. And it's all a political event, done on our property and with our funds, all for the glory of Donald Trump.

No one will show up and he’ll be more embarrassed than inauguration. I hope the forecast is heavy rain but it never comes, because if it’s pouring Trump will claim people would have shown otherwise.

The MAGAdroids will show. I suspect that this will turn into a political rally. Trump cannot help himself.

What's interesting about that is that if he sticks to the speech they wrote for him, it won't be, technically, a political rally. If he diverts from it and starts railing against the Democrats, it will be, at which point the lawsuits will be filed to make the Republican Party and/or the Trump campaign pay for all of this.

Lol this fat fuck won’t be anywhere near rain. Rain is for the uneducated little people who keep him as their master.

I hope the ground gets super soggy and those tanks fall into a sink hole in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

It will be interesting to see how many people show up for his parade. Given the humid weather in the forecast and potential rain, I'm sure most locals will prefer to stay close to home and their BBQ and enjoy their time together. What will Trump's spin. I'll look forward to him behind bars. Now that will be something to celebrate!

The VIP tickets have been given away to Repug party loyalists and military families, so it’s probably safe to say those seats will be filled, unfortunately, with enthusiastic supporters, just like at all of his political rallies.

Washington Post: Park Service diverts $2.5 million in fees for Trump’s July Fourth extravaganza

That's just a drop in the bucket. The total cost is over $90 million.

Oh, dear. Fox & Friends hosts are just terribly, terribly upset that the news media is mocking Dear Leader's show.

[quote]“They find everything that he does so repulsive and so ridiculous and so overblown,”

There's a reason for that, Brian.

He’s destroying the national mall (as well as other things)

That was for the Veterans' Day parade that never came off, R62. Check the date on that article.

He likes to spend the American people's money on himself.

Oh crap, R65. Sorry about that. I hate it when I get fooled by a meme getting passed around.

Will there be a choreographed performance by the Handmaids of Gilead?

I'd say the chances of something going hilariously wrong are pretty solid.

R58 and the Washington Monument falls into the Reflecting Pool. This could be so spectacularly bad.

MSNBC will not be carrying it, CNN won’t say, Faux News of course will.

[quote]What's interesting about that is that if he sticks to the speech they wrote for him, it won't be, technically, a political rally.

He reads the teleprompter like an eight year old. One sentence to the right then he turns to the left and says another line. He won't be able help himself hailing himself.

He's been able to do it a couple of times but what's interesting is that it comes at a cost. You're right, r72, that he's terrible at using a teleprompter and sticking to a script. The resulting speeches are low-energy and boring and don't get the crowds going. He hates it when his handlers tell him that he has no choice.

It turns out that the fireworks companies donating their time and fireworks for his spectacle have a motive: Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Chinese fireworks, which make up the vast majority of their supply.

[quote]Phantom Fireworks CEO Bruce Zoldan, who’s donating a half-million dollars of fireworks for the show, visited the White House in late May to argue against the tariffs. He told local Youngstown, Ohio outlet The Vindicator that the meetings came at the White House’s request. He also told the paper he’d personally spoken to the President as well as other “high-level officials.” The meeting came around the same time Trump’s July 4 show was taking shape.

It's estimated that the value of their donations to this would be in the range of $1.2 to $1.3 million.

(The link is to a members-only area on the site.)

Somewhat related: can you tell the difference between Fox News coverage of Trump and North Korea state news coverage of Kim Jung Un?

Washington Post: Trump says his generals are ‘thrilled’ with his Fourth of July salute. Their silence suggests otherwise.

"The emotional stakes were clear even before the first tanks rolled into Washington when Medal of Honor recipient Leroy Petry appeared on Fox News to defend Trump.

Petry’s honor for heroism in Afghanistan was draped around his neck. The former Army Ranger rolled up the sleeve of his suit jacket and pulled off his prosthetic to reveal the stump that remained after a Taliban grenade shredded his right arm.

Staring at his missing limb, Petry dismissed Democratic lawmaker’s complaints about the cost of the event as boorish.

“The cost to me was worth it,” he said, “and it should be to everyone else.”

***

Doesn't he realize that Trump prefers soldiers who AREN'T missing limbs???

This whole thing is disgusting. July 4th has never been about displays of our military strength or honoring our veterans.

Local tv weatherman tonight says the chance of strong storms and downpours tomorrow - afternoon into night - are 80%!

Downpour + tanks + DC was built on a literal swamp = 🍿🍿🍿

Sharknado!

Sharknado!

Sharknado!

The tanks are already in place!

Will Ivanka show up in a downpour? Will Don Jr speak to Jared? I wouldn't mind if a sinkhole appeared and they all fell in it.

This is AMERICA!

Make America Grate Again

[quote]“The cost to me was worth it,” he said, “and it should be to everyone else.”

Obviously he left his dignity and self respect out on the battlefield.

Not to mention that his comment was a complete [italic]non sequitur[/italic]. Nobody is disparaging his service. But July 4th is about the founding of this nation and it's always been a non-partisan event held with public funds on the National Mall. For Trump to debase that, to turn this into some kind of third-world ostentatious spectacle to feed his monstrous ego goes against what the country was founded on, what that veteran fought for.

This isn't about our military; this isn't about recognizing the valor and sacrifice of those who fought for the U.S.; this is about a narcissistic buffoon co-opting our national celebration, doing it for his ego, and getting the taxpayers to foot the bill.

We already have two holidays to recognize the military. This is suppose to celebrate the founders of our government. Instead, this fourth we are going to be focused on the destroyer of our government.

CNN: Pete Buttigieg: Trump's July 4th event 'makes America look smaller'

r88 As someone looking in from the outside, I agree with him.

USA Today: 'Show the world who we are': Trump's 4th of July military show has visitors pumped, but critics slam it as an ego trip

Kellyanne may not be wearing her yankee doodle inaugural outfit. Too damn hot!

Bone Spurs avoided military service. He has no shame.

Have you noticed that not even our resident trolls are defending him on this one?

No, r92, he doesn't. Baby Trump gets to play with his expensive toy soldiers and toy tanks. Much bigger and nicer than the other kids have.

'Mother' doesn't approve of everything. She's troubled about something.

Are her towel charms not selling?

There's no reason to think that the cost of this won't be extraordinary. Apparently one of the reasons it was announced at the last minute was to prevent an accurate assessment of the true cost from coming out before the event itself.

Could this be true? It's from CNBC

President Trump’s military parade now estimated to cost $92 million 1:54 PM ET Thu, 16 Aug 2018 President Donald Trump's military parade is estimated to cost $92 million, according to a U.S. defense official with firsthand knowledge of the assessment. An earlier estimate pegged the cost at $12 million. The parade will take place in the nation's capital on Nov. 10 and will feature armored vehicles, aircraft flyovers and period uniforms.

Oh wait. I see that was this is the estimate of his original Veterans Parade. Posted on Twitter tonight. I just saw the numbers.

R99, the cost for this one could be the same, though.

I hope it thunders

No, it's a lot more downscale than the parade was intended to be and the fireworks are being donated. All we know about now is a $2.5-3.0 million redirected from the National Park Service. I'm sure there is a military cost, as well, but it won't be in the tens of millions.

It's still too fucking much.

Why is Leslie Uggams performing for this? She's going to lose whatever fans she still has left.

100,000 professional criers have been added to the parade route for Our Most Holiest Dictator!

They will wail uncontrollably at the sight of The One who avoided all wars, who managed to stay a billionaire despite 4 bankruptcies!

They will fall to their knees and try to never look up at The One heroically traded our nation for his own wealth.

Before the downpour starts right when Donald is scheduled to speak, the high will be 96 when taking humidity into account. There will be tumbleweeds blowing through town tomorrow...

Which event is Leslie Uggams performing for, R103? There are two events, happening side by side. One is the traditional Fourth of July National Park Service event, with concert and fireworks, and the other is Trump's, with his speech, tanks, and fireworks.

Photo from tonight's rehearsal.

What could possibly go wrong!

Der Truhmper's luck will run out like W.'s and Christie's and he will be run out of town by a shrieking lynch mob!

Is it too late to seed the clouds?

Will the inaugural tractors be back?

Please let his hair catch on fire.

[quote]Trump already owes DC $7 million for the inauguration.

He's not going to pay it. Don't people ever learn? Trump has a history of stiffing people and not paying his bills.

Will the Rockettes show?

As someone stated above, I almost hope it doesn't rain because if it does and no one's there, that will just give Dump an easy out that it was the weather that caused his ego parade to flop. I'd prefer for the rain to not come, then when no one shows up but him and Melania, the fat fuck wouldn't have any excuse.

Boston Globe: What to know about President Trump’s Salute to America

ABC: July 4th fireworks donor lobbied President Trump on tariffs and won a reprieve

Would this be a Hatch Act violation? I mean they are using our tax dollars for this parade and if it turns into a rally...

Looks like very few channels will be covering this. The networks are airing their regular programming and will only break if something warrants it. CNN and MSNBC have said the same thing. Right now, it's Fox, which we know will be all in on this with breathless coverage of "Dear Leader," C-SPAN and, maybe, PBS, which always covers the regular July 4th ceremonies.

You couldn’t have asked for worse weather here today. Walking outside right now feels like being enfolded in Trump’s armpit.

It would be a violation, R117. Unless Trump is very careful, which doesn't seem likely, his campaign can be sued to cover the full costs.

One word, r119.....

ew

A Twitter rumor is that the Blue Angels have canceled because of the weather. Take that for what it's worth; you know how reliable Twitter rumors are.

[quote]I'd love to say "this will backfire!", but it NEVER DOES with this criminal!

It does sometimes but even then he benefits — it’s why he does it. Constant mugging for the camera ... even when he looks like a fool, which is often (always), he’s the one in the camera lens.

It’s how he won the nomination and it’s how he intends to get re-elected.

CBS, ABC, NBC Announce They Won’t Cover Trump’s 4th of July Event

It won't be enough, thankfully, R123. He needs more than that this time around.

Lovely bit of schadenfreude this morning: They can't find enough people to give their VIP tickets to and they're horribly afraid that the crowd will be too small, so they're being forced to hand out the VIP tickets to everyone.

National will be a mess, as the FAA has announced that flights from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. will be grounded and again from 9:00 to 9:45. The first is because of the flyovers; the second because of the fireworks. This hasn't happened in prior years because there were no flyovers and the regular fireworks display is in another area.

R123, it looks like that may no longer be working. The recent, much-touted, ABC interview with him was a ratings flop.

He’s so sloppy and lazy though. He can’t even be bothered to learn the name of the president’s private jet.

Air Force One and Marine One are supposed to fly over. Which is a first. How can anyone say this is not about Trump! I don't think they would be allowed to cancel cause of weather. Unless it is really dangerous.

Also, with the President outside at a big public event in DC- there will be protective fighter jets circling in the sky. Protecting the space. I imagine what that costs.

OMG, from his tweets this morning -

“People are coming from far and wide to join us today and tonight for what is turning out to be one of the biggest celebrations in the history of our Country, SALUTE TO AMERICA, an all day event at the Lincoln Memorial, culminating with large scale flyovers of the most modern and advanced aircraft anywhere in the World."

“Perhaps even Aircraft One will do a low & loud sprint over the crowd. That will start at 6:00P.M., but be there early. Then, at 9:00 P.M., a great (to put it mildly) fireworks display. I will speak on behalf of our great Country!”

Tell your story walking, fat fuck.

Good comment:

2 tanks + 2 Bradleys parked on the National Mall is simultaneously a hideous message about militarism over democracy AND a limp, pathetic attempt to placate the most toddlerish of boomers. It's the Red Square equivalent of a bouncy castle.

The Hill: Hillary Clinton on July 4 event: Trump shouldn't need military next to him 'to show his patriotism'

So, has this cluster-f taken over the "A Capitol Fourth" concert that's always shown on PBS and has been basically non-partisan? If so, PBS will definitely air it because they're already committed to do so. Hopefully PBS will cut out when Trump gives his speech and has his little parade.

I wonder 2 things: 1) who is going to pay for the destruction of the roads that these tanks are going to be parading on? They're not build for that weight. 2) Doesn't the MLK memorial statue look towards the Lincoln Memorial? The memes almost write themselves.

I'm torn between boycotting it to not give him ratings and watching this train wreck.

A take on the tanks:

"The parade of tanks became a static display of two Abrams put in place via flatbed trucks. You have no idea how much pushback was required to achieve this change. It is basically the pentagon telling the president 'HELL NO' when they can't really tell him hell no. So when you see those two tanks sitting there remember someone, probably several someones, risked their careers to prevent tanks from rolling down the streets of DC. The symbolism of this should not be underestimated."

R134, they're running in parallel, so Trump's Ode to Himself is not part of the main celebration. It's not clear how much of the Trump event PBS will cover. They will cover the other celebration, just as they've done in years past.

Ridiculous strawman argument from David French of the National Review:

[quote]Abrams tanks are very impressive and cool. This isn't prep for martial law. It's not Tiananmen Square. Kids will love to see them. Many adults will also. It's totally normal in America to have military air shows, etc. No one should be scared by this, truly.

Nobody is "scared" by this, you fucking moron.

Sorry, link to the prior tweet.

The military is giving guidance on what to say to those military personnel who have been forced to give up their July 4th plans.

[quote]I am proud to serve this Nation and I am proud to be a Service Member.

[quote]I am proud to honor the Nation and the Armed Forces during this Independence Day Celebration.

[quote]I am proud of my job and my vehicle/tank. I am glad to share my experience with the American People.

Chairman Trump

The PBS schedule for the A Capitol Fourth has not changed, it's still 8-9:30 ET. Trump's extravaganza is 6:30-7:30. The regular fireworks show is 9:07-9:42. It’s not clear when Trump's fireworks will go off.

[quote]t would be a violation, [R117]. Unless Trump is very careful, which doesn't seem likely, his campaign can be sued to cover the full costs.

SUED? By whom? Haven't you heard, the Conservative Party has given Trump a black check to spend whatever he wants. He won;t pay pay his inauguration bills, you think it's free to drag the Princess with him all over the globe first class do you?

It looks like they combined the two sets of fireworks. The normal fireworks show is about 20 minutes, so they're going to be running them one after another.

[quote]They can't find enough people to give their VIP tickets to and they're horribly afraid that the crowd will be too small, so they're being forced to hand out the VIP tickets to everyone.

His rich supporters are spending the 4th in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Europe. The last place they want to be today is in hot, humid DC watching some D-list country star sing patriotic songs.

R142, any taxpayer can sue the Trump campaign to pay for a campaign event. And it's a safe bet that someone will if his speech is as blatantly political as his usual campaign rally.

Is there anything more boring and pointless than watching fireworks on TV?

John Stamos is hosting the PBS special with special guests Grace Jones and Kristin Chenoweth.

Watching a Trump speech, R146?

Definitely running the fireworks shows in the same time slot. From the official schedule on the NPS website:

[quote]9:07 p.m., National Mall & Neighboring Parks

[quote]Independence Day culminates with a spectacular fireworks display launched from West Potomac Park and behind the Lincoln Memorial which will be visible from many locations throughout D.C. and Northern Virginia. The fireworks will be cancelled in case of heavy rain, thunderstorms or high winds.

Note the two locations given. The West Potomac Park is the traditional location. Behind the Lincoln Memorial is the Trump location.

I'll admit, I like air shows. I like seeing the tanks and fighter jets and love the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds and have been to many of those events at the military bases.

BUT, there's a time & place and purpose for those types of events and this is JUST NOT IT.

I'll watch the concert as I always do, but not the speech.

R147. Grace isn’t listed as a performer, Vanessa Williams though. Somehow I can’t picture Grace singing Pull Up To The Bumper in full Afro body paint with her tits out at a family event. I’m

I’m sure Dear Leader will claim that all the people on the Mall for the regular Capitol 4th celebration are there to see him. I’m still stunned that we have this lunatic for a President.

HA. Love this from PBS. "... A Capital Fourth remains unaffiliated with ...

[quote]Join @July4thPBS tonight at 8/7c for America’s favorite Independence Day celebration, hosted by John Stamos! A Capitol Fourth remains unaffiliated with any other July 4th events around the country and in other locations in Washington, D.C. #July4thPBS

R144

Jared, Ivanka, and Don Jr. are spending the 4th in the Hamptons. No one wants to be around for Daddy's post parade debacle raging.

"NBC, CBS, and ABC announced this afternoon that they intend to opt out of showing President Donald Trump’s “Salute to America” celebration. The President’s celebration is set to air on the 4th of July. Rather than air the President’s celebration, networks will instead run “regularly scheduled programs” such as “Jeopardy!”

Glad the networks won’t be covering this, Trump can’t exist without exposure. He’s going to be so pissed.

So the Fascist Leader was slowly carried up the the stairs of the monument that had been stripped of all bad-past/fake history. His carriers strained the last few steps as the Dear Leader's blubber was contained in the fat slings which the carriers struggled with. He rolled over on his side and propped up his head with his blubbery arm, overlooking the new Capitol Mall. More people could be there now that he had the reflecting pool paved. Along the Mall, people cheered the Great One from the broken out windows and balconies of the past "Museums" that were part of the fake past history.

What a day to celebrate our glorious leader basking in the shade of his huge umbrella.

Agree R156, I'm hoping for a small crowd rather than protesters.

VoteVets will be handing out 5000 "USS John McCain" t-shirts at the event.

If Trump were killed by a lightning strike during his speech, I will renounce my atheism and go full on God warrior.

R160, I would be right behind you.

Me too, r157!

Oops, sorry, meant r160!

Des Moines Register: Joe Biden says Donald Trump's Fourth of July parade 'misses the point'

If there is a God, Trump will be struck down by a bolt of lightening.

I'm still agnostically praying for a Sharknado!

Reporting from DC—the roads are deserted and the weather is like Calcutta during monsoon season. The heat and humidity made me sick just being outside for thirty minutes. There are ominous sounds of thunder.

Storming right now in Loudoun County. Strong rain and thunder. Should hit DC in about a half hour?

Trump will blame the weather if there is a low turnout.

More likely he'll just deny that there was a low turnout, insisting that his was the biggest spectacle ever!

Thanks for the DC updates, r167 and r168.

Any signs of sharks in those gathering storms? I'm still holding out for Sharknado.

I'm starting to get interested.

High heat and humidity + Trump out there giving a speech, probably wearing a bulletproof vest, and we could be talking heart attack or stroke.

Your mouth to gods ear, r172

R169, sadly, he'd have a point. Kinda wish it was good weather with a bad turnout

I want Trump to be that unpopular kid who throws a big party and no one comes

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Grace needs to cover up those flapjack tits.

Slightly off-topic but why do so many people think the Fourth of July is about honouring the military? So many idiots on my FB feed posting about the military. They have no understanding that today is a day when we're meant to celebrate our independence and the principles of democracy upon which this country was founded.

As noted on Twitter, this was a political act, not a military one.

[quote]Slightly off-topic but why do so many people think the Fourth of July is about honouring the military?

Because, sadly, too many Americans don't know our history.

Mini baby Trump balloons for sale.

I’d buy some of those little balloons for holiday decoration!

The rain brought the temperature way down. And storms tonight will be scattered. Damn.

The Fourth of July really has nothing to do with the military. Nor should it. It exists to remind us about the founding of the nation -- a point in time where we had no military. We have other holidays to remember those who serve and those who gave their lives for this country. Not every national holiday needs to be converted into something glorifying the military. Especially not this one.

We had an army, R185.

[quote]The Continental Army was created on 14 June 1775 by the Second Continental Congress as a unified army for the colonies to fight Great Britain, with George Washington appointed as its commander.

But your point still stands that this is not a military holiday.

R184 I wouldn’t worry. Less than two hours to go and it’s still nowhere near tempting out. Most people I know have canceled BBQ and pool plans and are catching up on Netflix.

Has it already been mentioned that if you didn't pay for a ticket to attend you have to stand behind a fence?

The concert is located on the west lawn of the Capitol. Isn't that at the opposite end of the mall from where Trump will be. Two different crowds.

That's in front of the Lincoln Memorial; I thought that was where trump was giving his rally.

I love the QAnon believers who are saying that JFK, Jr. will reveal himself and arrest top Democrats today.

If we lose our country to people that fucking dumb then maybe we will have deserved it.

Here’s the stage at the Lincoln Memorial. Military band down front flanked by 2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles (not tanks), speaker's platform above that, and bleachers for crowd of deplorables in back.

I'm a little surprised they didn't drape red, white, and blue bunting all over the Memorial.

The concert is at the other end of the Mall from the Lincoln Memorial. The stage for Trump and the tanks/vehicles are in the plaza directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial, but only people with the VIP tickets are permitted in that exact area. The non-ticket deplorables here to see Trump are in a fenced off area along the reflecting pool down a ways from Lincoln (but still not where the concert is). So if there are arial crowd pictures, we should be able to see the two crowds. It’s still raining on and off in DC.

They turned off the webcam that films the Mall.

R196 I’m sure that’s more for security than anything

Why would that be a security concern, R197?

If it wasn't a security thing on the swearing in at the capitol it wouldn't be today either.

There’s no reason to turn the webcam off for security reasons. It’s not as though it’s the webcam that gives away the President’s location—there’s a stage and podium set up in advance of the event. As for crowd security, the webcam runs during inauguration and other events on the Mall, which is often crowded with tourists.

Trump supporters are heading for the VIP area.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

Webcam probably turned off so we won't see there aren't many people there.

Trump can't get his hair wet. I assume they have built some kind of shelter for him to give his speech?

Those there are soaked and some are leaving. More rain to come. Good pictures at link.

Trump threw himself a fascist rally and no one showed up. Delicious.

I'm still outraged and sad. I need a break. I'm going to watch The Tudors. You know, back when things were sane.

So this is going well - the military vehicles are in the fenced off VIP area, and the general public won’t be able to see them.

Slightly off topic, but I'm sick of this piece of shit's followers. I just got told to suck it up by one of these assholes because I was involved in an accident in an uber and three days later I'm still in bad shape and am in the process of getting an attorney, then called money hungry.

Fuck these assholes.

I can't find any active webcams for Washington DC.

I’m a hundred miles south of DC, and it’s dark any rainy here, our weather should be heading up 95 to ensure it stays rainy in DC.

Cams were turned off because they don't want a repeat of the skimpy inaugural crowd size photos.

Local news might up choppers up there monitoring the weather. But given that they’ve shut down flights at DCA for parts of tonight, there may not be a way to get a flying arial shot.

DCA says flyovers not happening.

[quote]with special guests Grace Jones and Kristin Chenoweth.

And a special guest appearance by the Kristin Chenoweth Forehead. There were initial security concerns about how to accommodate the forehead, bud decreased crowd size will now allow the ginormous forehead to make an appearance.

Delayed by rain and a possibility that the flyovers will not happen?

WJLA (ABC local)is right across the river in a very high tower. The former USA Today building. But they are now owned by Sinclair, so I don't know if they would try to get crowd pics.

Acosta on CNN says he is hearing there is a decent enough crowd for Trump to give his speech. They are showing lots of high-level military. And every Republican political staffer is probably there.

Trump tweeted he will appear between 6:30 and 7:00. Pence just arrived. I guess the fly overs will be when he comes out? We need a downpour!

[quote]Has it already been mentioned that if you didn't pay for a ticket to attend you have to stand behind a fence?

Were there no cages available?

so basically they turned off the webcam and blocked a lot of other access in case the crowd isn't so big. That way Trump can lie and we might not know how badly he's lying

obviously drones wouldn't be allowed either

Love this one, r214....

Well, shit. They're just going to have to ask Kellyanne to fly over on her broom.

Ethel Merman will be performing "It's a Grand Old Flag" and "Copacabana" tonight.

No mic and yet they'll hear every word all the way to the Washington Monument. What a legend.

No reality allowed except for what is approved by Twitler.

@DanRather Tomorrow’s White House press release: under a brilliant sun millions of patriots cheered the most accomplished president in American history.

Will Carolyn Bessett and her sister be there, too?

it would be great if wind and rain fucked his hair up

It would be even better if he drowned in it.

No one had a squeegee?

Love the rainy lens on the CNN camera.

That’s not the camera lens, it’s the bulletproof glass in front of dear leader.

Is this OFFICIAL WATCH THREAD?

Might as well be, R230. I don't want to watch, though. Does anyone have a good Twitter account to check that's updating on a regular basis?

This is so BORING!

What a weird performance.

See my African American! Right there!

His big event is getting rained on.

The historical figures he named are all rolling in their graves right now.

what's happening? i'm not giving that shit ratings

WTF does this have to do with Independence Day?

Trump’s mannerisms trigger me. The way he cocks his head back and forth and juts his shoulders out right and left. His squinty piggy eyes. Everything about him is repulsive.

Loving the ***smattering*** of applause for each of his loony statements.

Are there any shots of the size of the Fuhrer's crowd?

Huge bald spot showing there when he turned around.

I can’t watch him without thinking of Sassy Trump.

Now he’s ranting and literally shouting about how our great military “crushes” its enemies. What does any of this have to do with Independence Day?

Is he staying on topic or has he attacked the Democrats and praised himself as the greatest ever?

The Guardian's live blog, usually worth following on occasions like this.

Daniel Dale is also live blogging it via Twitter.

Apparently, they did have a flyover.

"Douglass - you know, Frederick Douglass - the great Frederick Douglass."

Per Daniel Dale:

[quote]If it's not clear from my excerpts, this is one of the small percentage of Trump speech in which he adopts a Presidential persona and does not audible to tangents.

So they did manage to restrain him.

A couple of planes from each service flying over as their theme song plays after he drones on about their glory. Must have seemed like a good idea to someone, but this is really boring. Crowd response is weak and Trump knows it.

He's still talking

He’s gonna keep talking till he gets his fix. That crowd better wake up.

How he sort of stands at attention while the band plays - hilarious.

R245 He’s getting his rocks off ranting about our great military annihilating and crushing everything in its path. I think he jerks off imagining it at night.

Its so sad and boring, he's just reading, he knows nothing about history.

...and it’s STILL raining.

Am I the only one thinks Kellyanne wrote this shitfest personally, using nothing but her imagination, about a dozen Midol and a bottomless chaser of Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka?

He's droning on and on.

Yeah, that was always going to be the dilemma here. If he goes with his high energy random-shit attacks and bullshit, he has to pay for this event. But if he just reads the teleprompter, reading a speech he didn't write, he's low energy and boring.

Shouldn’t this have been done for Veterans Day or something? Fourth of July is about celebrating our independence and partying.

As narrator go, he's no Boris Karloff, but he's certainly making America grate again.

“AMERICA’S RIGHTEOUS FURY.”

He’s fucking crazy.

Did he just say Washington's forces had *airports*?

Nothing that America cannot do? How about taking care of those poor kids at the border?

Cadet Bone Spurs knows what he’s talking about.

Should have been, "Nothing that America cannot bomb."

Shouting these platitudes off the teleprompter.

Worth posting again.....

Well, he pulled it off without turning it into a rally. You can hear the sighs of relief all over the place.

This was a huge waste of taxpayer money.

I’m DC right now with a view over monuments. Aside from the stealth bomber - yes, just the one - which had a big sonic boom the flyovers are decidedly small in scale. Honestly nothing different than what you see in a major metropolitan area with varied air traffic. About 16 aircraft total in almost an hour. Doesn’t seem particularly impressive at all. Big bust.

R261 I hate to be that person, but how exactly do you think that we achieved and maintained our independence, if not for the military?

Unless some of those military men are actually male strippers, I'm turning over to Hallmark's Christmas movie marathon.

R273, that's why we have Veteran's Day and Memorial Day. The Fourth of July has been about freedom, not about war.

Where is 'Mother'?

Off-topic but any dish on Daniel Dale? I think he's a cutie.

R273 = Kellyanne Cuntway.

so he didn't make an ass of himself? I was hoping he'd say something really offensive. I don't want him to get positive coverage for this

even stuff like "well that's wasn't so bad after all" is bad news because he'll do it again next year

Who was that cunt on stage with the flag scarf?

Exactly, r275.....

R272 The Blue Angels are pretty badass though.

R273 Things were a bit different in 1776. It wasn’t overwhelming military force that won the Revolutionary War. It was strategy, help from the French, and the home field with some stupidity from the British.

I didn't think Trump and Pence were ever supposed to be together at events like this? We're only one plane crash away from President Pelosi.

R280 That’s Mother Pence.

R275 Maybe for you, but I always thank about the military on the Fourth, especially the Continental Army and WWII military. Independence Day, is about us declaring independence with words, but then FIGHTING a war to actually achieve it.

Wow R284, that almost makes it worthwhile!

It wasn't "overwhelming" military force but if it had not been for the Continental Army and the state militias, there would have been no successful revolution. I get that what Trump is doing is obnoxious, but come on. Revolutions are violent affairs.

You're welcome to do that, of course, R286, but that's not what the celebrations at the Capitol on the 4th have been about. And this overt glorification isn't really about the military: it's about Trump. This is his ego.

His deplorables must be disappointed. No frothing rage to get them whipped into a frenzy. No not-so-subtle hints to get violent with the press and brown people.

July 4th was celebrating the Declaration of Independence, the birth of the country. The war for Independence was a following act.

So what do they do for the next hour and half until the fireworks start?

If he loves the military so much, why is he a draft dodger?

R292 There’s a concert at the other end of the Mall, as usual, that is actually entertaining.

Trump got lucky. He got his flyover, the fireworks are likely to happen, and, while the crowds weren't that large, he did get enough of a crowd that he didn't get too humiliated. Of course, he'll claim that the crowd was ten times larger than it actually is.

So Trump was just a really bad opening act.

Fox, of course, was all in. Courtesy of the Guardian Live Blog linked above:

[quote]Mollie Hemingway on Fox News says that those who were critical of Trump’s idea of holding the event and delivering a speech today, will “feel foolish” after hearing Trump’s speech, which she says was unifying. Another Fox commentator says that the speech was “an ode to American exceptionalism”.

Sorry, Mollie, but I'd only "feel foolish" if I were dumb enough to actually listen to that speech. And even more foolish if I stood out in the rain to do so.

Pretty much sums it up, r296.

And yes, he had trouble reading the teleprompter and he talked about airports in reference to the Continental Army: "it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do" etc.

There are more planes waiting to take off at DCA than there were in the flyovers. Maybe it looked impressive on TV but the reality is the whole thing felt.... small. Just like his tiny little fingers

No Sharknado?

Damn.

Lindsey has been on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

How much did people have to pay for this privelege?

Nothing, I think, R303, other than the taxpayers and the people who donated their time or materials, like the fireworks vendors. The VIP tickets were handed out to various Republicans and Republican groups. They ended up handing them out like candy at the end because they didn't have enough VIPs interested in attending.

More from the Guardian live blog:

The Associated Press has noted how on-script Trump remained today.

“He largely adhered to his script, avoiding diversions into his agenda or re-election campaign,” says AP.

This is certainly how the speech felt listening to it. There were long sections where Trump seemed to be reading, listing dates and facts as he gave historical accounts of many of the armed forces. Indeed, there were some points when the crowd – dare I say it – even seemed a little bored. Certainly, at some moments during these scripted historical sections when Trump stopped for applause, it took a long while for a very muted cheer to struggle free from the crowd.

Oh, this is fun!

Babs, weighing in

Lawrence Tribe on Twitter: Independence Day is meant to celebrate what we fought for, not what we fought with.

He slipped up on "enemy" and said "emeny" while seeming to burp.

Why did Melania’s frock have yellow stripes on it? Not exactly red, white & blue.

If you need something to take away the Trump stain, might I recommend this to cleanse your palate? A speech by a President who really understood the meaning of July 4th.

Just wait until next year. And you know he'll want to do it again next year, even bigger and better.

Eugene Robinson: "Trump tried to make Independence Day all about him. He ended up looking small":

Melanoma’s tits are crooked. She looked horrible. WTF was that dress about.

She looked like she was trying to look like a folkloric dancer 🤣😂

they look terrible

Miss Lindsey was spotted sipping a mint julep during the festivities.

never realized how much princess Lindsey resembled the Queen. as in Elizabeth II . apologies to Liz.

Boy, the THR reviewer holds nothing back:

Jackass weasel

"It was clear that neither Stephen Miller nor Steve Bannon had a hand in crafting this address. There were no mentions of “American carnage,” unless you count the kind our military has inflicted on our enemies. You had to be at least grateful that Trump got to deliver it, since it was obviously the closest he’s come to reading anything about American history. He said everything as if he were hearing it for the first time. It was hard to avoid the feeling that the speech was being recited not by him but rather his animatronic version borrowed from Disney World."

USA Today: Donald Trump trips up on history in 4th of July speech, mentions airports during Revolutionary War

NYT: On the Fourth of July, Melania Trump Dresses for Independence

Reuters: Love of country? Or a political stunt? Trump holiday speech divides Americans

CBS Miami: Parkland parents protest in front of Trump Tower on the 4th

Apparently, shooting off too many fireworks all at once form a massive smoke cloud which obscures the fireworks. Whodathunkit?

Tongue-in-cheek jab from Josh Marshall of TalkingPointsMemo.com.

[quote]Current crowd estimate is 3.4 million people.

Russia is not impressed.

True:

[quote]This is seriously a bad speech. I don't mean jingoistic or mean or evil. It's not really any of that. (Yet.) I mean it's "fire the speechwriters" bad, like [bold]it was written by a committee of AP History students who crammed for the exam this morning.[/bold]

Wait are you saying they didn't have airplanes during the revolution? What about hamberders? Did they have hamberders at least? Those poor people, how did they get to Europe?

Let this sink in.....

[quote]Wait are you saying they didn't have airplanes during the revolution?

Of course they did! How else were they going to beat the Nazis?

Please tweet about that, r331! Tweeting is the way to get facts ands truth out against the Fake News Media.

NBC: Trump blames teleprompter for Revolutionary War 'airports' flub

Great comment from Twitter: Anyone who thinks that airports weren't around in 1776 has never been to LaGuardia.

But r333, I thought Trump repudiated the use of teleprompters and claimed he would never use one, unlike that lazy son of a bitch Obama???

He also included the War of 1812 in with the Revolutionary War. Not that he'd know the difference.

What a dummy.

[quote]Webcam probably turned off so we won't see there aren't many people there.

BINGO! Ladies and Gentlemen we have a bingo!

Russia was not impressed.

[quote] The Russian state TV host Olga Skabeyeva mocked the military vehicles in President Donald Trump's "A Salute to America" display, saying, "There are no cannons, and their optics have been glued on with adhesive tape."

[quote]The hosts also called the display "weak" and "low energy."

Where were the children?

The big 3 were in the Hamptons I believe.

Ick, R340.

No one living in the Hamptons wants to see the Trumps around.