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

National Park Service acting director P. Daniel Smith faces plenty of looming priorities this summer, but in recent days, another issue has competed for Smith's attention: how to satisfy President Trump's request to station tanks and other armored military vehicles on the Mall for his planned Fourth of July address to the nation.

The ongoing negotiations over whether to use massive military hardware, such as Abrams tanks or Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as a prop for Trump's "Salute to America" is just one of many unfinished details when it comes to the celebration planned for Thursday.

White House officials intend to give out tickets for attendees to sit in a VIP section and watch Trump's speech, but did not develop a distribution system before much of the staff left for Asia last week. Officials are also still working on other key crowd management details, such as how to get attendees through magnetometers in an orderly fashion.

Trump has spurred the use of military aircraft for a flyover, including one of the jetliners used as Air Force One. In addition, the Navy's Blue Angels will now be flying in D.C. on the 4th.
About 300 military members are slated to march as well.

The type of armored tactical vehicles under consideration for this year's Fourth of July celebration can weigh 60 tons or more, and some, such as Abrams tanks, have tracks that can be particularly damaging (to the Mall grounds and streets).

Anti-Trump protesters, including the group Code Pink, are negotiating with Park Service officials over whether a massive "Trump Baby" balloon they want to fly will comply with flight restrictions that will be in place over the Mall during the Fourth.

(Draft dodger puts on a military parade to honor himself)

https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Trump-asks-for-military-tanks-on-the-Mall-as-part-14063335.php