'We Will Celebrate Our Independence Day on November 3, 2020'
Many patriotic Americans are furious that President Donald Trump is turning the historically nonpartisan Independence Day celebration in Washington, D.C. into a taxpayer-funded partisan campaign rally and military parade.
Tanks, a brand new $215 million helicopter that will serve as Marine One when the president is on board, a team military jet fighters, including the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, an Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, along with the Navy’s Blue Angels, and even one of the planes used as Air Force One, will all be doing flyovers.
President Trump is giddy.
Many Americans are not.
On social media #BoycottTrump4thOfJuly is trending, and at the Pentagon some of Trump's top military brass are going to do just that.
"Most top military chiefs [are] skipping Trump's July Fourth fest," Politico reports.
"The only service chief in attendance will be Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz. Instead of their top officers, the Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps are sending a group of their next tier of leaders," according to Politico. "Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, acting Air Force Secretary Matthew Donovan and James McPherson, an official performing the duties of Army undersecretary, will be there representing the services' civilian leadership."
Perhaps to make up for the lack of military leaders, the White House has given the RNC a reportedly large number of tickets to hand out to VIP donors. The DNC was not given any, making clear this is a totally partisan event, despite Trump's claims.
Here's what some are saying about the boycott: