(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump liked his Fourth of July event in Washington so much, he says he’s going to do it again in 2020, when he’ll be facing re-election, and maybe "for the foreseeable future."
“It was a wonderful day for all Americans and based on its tremendous success we’re just making the decision -- and I think I can say, we’ve made the decision to do it next year and maybe we can say for the foreseeable future,” Trump said Monday during a speech at the White House.
Trump revamped the traditional Fourth of July celebration in Washington this year, putting himself at the center of the festivities. The all-day gathering on the National Mall that draws hundreds of thousands of people featured a Trump speech at the Lincoln Memorial in the evening, military aircraft fly-bys and armored vehicles. The usual 15-minute fireworks show was extended to 35 minutes after two pyrotechnics companies made a donation d at $750,000. Trump called his event the “Salute to America.”
Government officials made no estimate of the crowd size for the affair but the city’s Metrorail system reported ridership increased 1.7% over the same day last year, with about 401,000 people using the subway system.
“In spite of the heavy rain, and it was really heavy, we had a remarkable Salute to America on the National Mall,” Trump said. “It was incredible. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and looking out on the crowds - these incredible, big, beautiful crowds braving the weather all the way back to the Washington Monument, we celebrated freedom in all of its magnificence while saluting our great military.”
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