Trump's July 4th
President Donald Trump on July 4th finally achieved his years-long dream of a do-over on the National Mall to make up for the low-attendance his Inauguration Day ceremony drew. That dream was also sparked when the Commander-in-Chief went to France and saw a Bastille Day parade that he reportedly couldn't stop talking about.
For Trump's Independence Day "Salute to America" there were tanks. Military plane flyovers. And of course a speech by the President that the White House quickly packaged into a video tweet – that the official Trump campaign then used as free political advertising – paid for by the taxpayers.
So, how much are taxpayers on the hook for, for Trump's egomaniacal Fourth of July Salute to himself – at least according to the Trump administration?
According to ABC News, more than $5 million: "$5.35 million, according to an Interior Department letter released exclusively to ABC News."
ABC News adds that number does not include the $750,000 in fireworks donated by two companies that lobbied Trump for tariff exemptions, which many on social media decried as corruption.
Washington, D.C. ended up bankrupting a special terrorism-related account to pay for security for the event. The Trump administration still owes the city for his inauguration, bringing their total debt to D.C. to $9 million.
Report typos and corrections to corrections@rawstory.com.
For customer support contact support@rawstory.com.
