No, we do not yet have any reason for Mike Pence being called back from New Hampshire for an emergency/not-an-emergency. And yes, someone—someone—has been tweeting out statements including random capitalization and the phrase “not good.” So at this point, we all just carry on as if Donald Trump is not going through the Fourth of July in the tradition of Weekend at Bernie’s. But we know better.
But no matter what, Trump is tearing down the proud tradition of celebrating the national birthday with picnics, dogs catching Frisbees, and everything but a military parade in order to get the Bastille Day pony he never had but always wanted. And the cost of that pony is still about as unknown as the reason for Pence’s turnaround. What is clear is that the Park Service has pulled at least $2.5 million that was earmarked to restore trails, repair bunkhouses, and maybe even pay rangers at parks around the country, and instead has funneled that money toward Trump’s tank-a-thon.
As The Washington Post notes, that money is “just a fraction of the extra costs the government faces as a result of the event.” The total tab for positioning tanks around the National Mall, closing down National Airport so that fighter jets can scream overhead, and generally trashing the center of D.C. is unknown. By comparison, the normal Fourth of July celebration in D.C., the one that includes tens of thousands coming out to enjoy the fireworks, as well as the picnicking, Frisbee-fied normality, is around $2 million all-in. What Trump’s ego-stroking play costs the American people is likely to never be known. Executive privilege means never having to show the bill.
One thing that the White House is happy to say about this event is that “Any suggestion that this is a ticketed event is false.” That’s right. “A Salute to America” is a free event, open to the public, in the same way that every concert in the Rolling Stones’ latest farewell tour is free to the public. The public is absolutely free to stand around the periphery, so long as they don’t bother the ticketed folks who actually have a seat, or the also-ticketed folks who have a place to stand where they can hear the entertainment and catch a glimpse of the stage.
And, by a total coincidence, the RNC has those tickets and is handing them out. The DNC’s supply of tickets … has mysteriously gone missing.
In response to questions about why the RNC has tickets, but the DNC does not, the White House press office repeatedly stated that “this is not a ticketed event.” Except that it is. And those tickets are being given out to one political party and to VIPs selected by Trump.
Which would be a violation of the Hatch Act. If anyone was still enforcing the Hatch Act. Which they were, until Trump.
All of which suggests that the American public should do the genuinely patriotic thing. By having a picnic, tossing around that Frisbee, and enjoying some fireworks far away from Trump’s event. NBC has also announced that it will not be carrying Trump’s self-congratulatory exercise, so feel free to join the fine tradition of kicking back and watching the tube.