President Donald Trump has decided that the Fourth of July belongs to him. In February, he announced on Twitter that he was rebranding the day as a "Salute to America" that would feature "an address by your favorite President, me!" (Perhaps a necessary clarification.) On June 5, Washington D.C. officials confirmed that Trump planned to speak from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, forcing the relocation of the traditional fireworks display to West Potomac Park.
In the hours after The Washington Post broke the news, Democrats pounced on Trump for politicizing the national holiday. Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va.