Hijacked

Every year, Washington DC hosts a series of non-partisan events on Independence Day, including a parade, concert, and fireworks display. This year, Donald Trump is attempting to turn the day into a taxpayer-funded campaign extravaganza for himself (details here).

The main event is expected to include a Trump speech, military flyover, and possibly tanks parading in the street. Not surprisingly, some members of Congress are outraged that a traditionally nonpartisan event has been hijacked by the President for personal gain. They're particularly miffed that tickets for a VIP section are being given to major Trump donors.

Trump even demanded that the military leadership stand with him (details here) as he reviews the parade. He apparently cares not a whit if the parade does any permanent damage to streets and monuments (details here), which is a real possibility.

The whole thing sounds like something you'd see in a banana republic, not the United States.

Unlike his political rallies, where Trump's campaign can control who is admitted, this will be open to the public. It will be interesting to see if anyone boos Trump when he speaks or gets an "impeach him now" chant going. He won't be able to have them thrown out like he does at his rallies.

Veterans groups have organized a subtle form of protesting and Trump trolling -- they'll be giving out thousands of USS John S. McCain T-shirts to make him face a crowd of people honoring the idea of putting country before self (details here).

The event may end up being a bust if Mother Earth has her way. The weather forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms in Washington DC on July 4.