WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Battle tanks were seen on a train in Washington on Tuesday (July 2) ahead of a July Fourth celebration highlighting US military might that Democrats say President Donald Trump could turn into a re-election campaign rally.

Amid questions about the cost and tone of the event, White House officials said the Republican president will avoid politics and stick to patriotic themes in his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Thursday.

Reuters photographed M1 Abrams tanks and other armoured vehicles atop flat rail cars in Washington on Tuesday morning, a sign of the military firepower that will be featured, differing significantly from past annual celebrations of the 1776 Declaration of Independence.

For decades, US presidents have kept a low profile during the event, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of people to Washington's monument-lined National Mall for a concert and fireworks.

This year, Trump plans to speak at a military "Salute to America" that will feature military bands and flyovers from the US Navy's Blue Angels and Air Force One, the modified Boeing 747 that transports US presidents.

The event could also feature M1 Abrams battle tanks, a B-2 bomber, F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, and the Marine One helicopter that transports the president, the Pentagon said. Air traffic at nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport will be suspended during the flyovers and the fireworks, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The antiwar group Code Pink said it had secured a permit to bring a "Baby Trump" blimp, depicting the president in diapers, to a protest in the Mall during his speech. The permit does not allow the balloon to be filled with helium so it can float.

Democrats in Congress have questioned whether Trump will turn a patriotic celebration into a taxpayer-funded campaign rally.

"That's absolutely ridiculous. This is all about a salute to America. The president is not going to get political," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Fox Business Network.

On June 18, Trump officially launched his 2020 campaign to seek a second four-year term. More than 20 Democrats are campaigning for their party's nomination to run against Trump.

The administration has not said how much Trump's pumped-up July Fourth celebration will cost. The Pentagon postponed a military parade planned for last November after it estimated it could cost US$90 million (S$122 million).

The National Park Service is diverting about US$2.5 million in entrance and recreation fees primarily intended to improve parks to cover costs associated with the celebration, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed sources.

The agency did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report.

"It is unacceptable that the Interior Department is failing to inform Congress about how it plans to spend taxpayer money to fund the president's lavish July Fourth plans, which reportedly include special access to the National Mall for the politically connected," Democratic Senator Tom Udall said in a statement.

A VIP section set up near the Lincoln Memorial will be open to government officials and lawmakers, according to a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity. In previous years, government officials and other VIPs have watched the fireworks from the White House lawn. </s> President Donald Trump announced Friday that he personally cancelled the military parade he wanted that was slated to have taken place on November 10, blaming local D.C. politicians for reports of a price tag tens of millions of dollars higher than the original estimated cost.

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"The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it," Trump said in a tweet. "When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it."

Trump said he would instead plan to attend a separate military parade on Joint Base Andrews in nearby Prince George's County, Maryland, and announced that he would visit Paris in November for the centennial celebration marking 100 years since the end of World War 1.

The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it. When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it. Never let someone hold you up! I will instead... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2018

....attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, & go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th. Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2018

In a response to the president's attack, Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said in a tweet that she did indeed communicate to the administration that the cost of holding a large-scale military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue would far exceed the original base estimate put forward by the administration.

Yup, I’m Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad). https://t.co/vqC3d8FLqx — MurielBowser (@MurielBowser) August 17, 2018

A breakdown of those local costs lists more than $13 million for police, some $3.5 million for fire and emergency medical services, $2.2 million for the local transportation department for traffic control and more than half a million for the public works department for measures that include "sanitization of the parade route."

On Thursday, a U.S. official had told ABC News that the cost of the parade had risen to $92 million, a significant increase to initial estimates that it could cost $14 million.

"The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to honor America's military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War I," said the statement issued Thursday night. "We originally targeted November 10, 2018 for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019."

The postponement comes on the heels of news that the cost of the parade had ballooned from its initial estimated price tag of $12 million. A U.S. official told ABC News on Thursday that the cost of the parade was now estimated to be $92 million.

The official stressed that the cost was an estimate that could vary based off of a final decision on the scope of the parade made by Defense Secretary James Mattis. At the time the secretary had still not signed off on the final plans for the parade.

About $50 million is expected to be paid for by the Pentagon with the other $42 million coming from the Department of Homeland Security, the official said.

The latest estimate means the cost of the parade could be as high as six times that of the U.S. and South Korean military exercise Trump suspended after he labeled them "provocative" and "very expensive." The cost of the suspended exercise, scheduled to take place this month, was $14 million.

The official said that the initial $12 million estimate was based off of a review of the capital's last military parade for the 1991 Gulf War. Before that figure, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told the House Budget Committee in February that the cost could range between $10 and $30 million.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

With regard to Trump's tweeted claim that "Now we can buy some more jet fighters!" -- the latest price tag for the advanced F-35 fighter Trump often praises was $94 million -- in a buy announced in early 2017.

Last month, ABC News reported that between 5,000 and 7,000 service members were estimated to march in the parade which was slated for Saturday, November 10, according to a U.S. defense official familiar with parade planning documents.

Nearly 3,000 personnel, a mix of civilian and military employees, are planned to be supporting the execution of the parade the week before it takes place. Some of those individuals will be security personnel.

In addition to the 5,000 to 7,000 individuals who could be marching, the parade, which was slated to begin at the U.S. Capitol and end at the White House, is expected to feature a mix of vehicles, aircraft, and horses.

A March memo from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said no tanks would be used in the parade, only wheeled vehicles in order to "minimize damage to local infrastructure." But on Thursday, CNBC reported that eight tanks have now been approved following an analysis that showed the vehicle's weight would not negatively impact the streets of Washington, D.C.

Van Tine Dennis/ABACA USA via AP

Trump first mentioned the idea of a grand parade after attending France's Bastille Day parade last summer. Then, in February, he asked the Pentagon to begin planning for such a parade to take place in the U.S.

The date of November 10 is one day before Veterans Day, which would have coincided with the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. </s> WASHINGTON — In a sweltering capital threatened by storms, the traditional Fourth of July parade Thursday served as a warm-up act to a distinctly nontraditional evening event at the Lincoln Memorial, where President Donald Trump made plans to command the stage against the backdrop of a show of military muscle.

Protesters unimpressed by his "Salute to America" program inflated a roly-poly balloon depicting Trump as an angry, diaper-clad baby.

With his decision to add his own production to the usual festivities, Trump set himself up to be the first president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall on Independence Day. "I will speak on behalf of our great Country!" he said in a morning tweet. "Perhaps even Air Force One will do a low & loud sprint over the crowd."

He's calling his event a "Salute to America," honoring the armed forces, and he said in a tweet early Thursday that he "will speak on behalf of our great Country!"

But thunderstorms threatened, with periods of "torrential rain" forecast by the National Weather Service and a flash-flood watch in effect.

Not since 1951, when President Harry Truman spoke before a large gathering on the Washington Monument grounds to mark the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, has a commander in chief made an Independence Day speech to a sizable crowd on the Mall. Protests erupted in 1970 when President Richard Nixon taped a message that was played to crowds on the Mall at an "Honor America Day" celebration organized by supporters.

In the shadow of the Washington Monument, the anti-war organization Codepink erected a 20-foot tall "Trump baby" balloon to protest what it called the president's co-opting of Independence Day.

"We think that he is making this about himself and it's really a campaign rally," said Medea Benjamin, the organization's co-director. "We think that he's a big baby. ... He's erratic, he's prone to tantrums, he doesn't understand the consequences of his actions. And so this is a great symbol of how we feel about our president."

The balloon remained tied down at the Mall because park officials restricted the group's permission to move the balloon or fill it with helium, Benjamin said.

A small crowd gathered to take pictures with the balloon, which drew Trump supporters and detractors.

Kevin Malton, a Trump supporter from Middlesboro, Kentucky, came with his son for the holiday and took pictures with the balloon. He was glad to see the mix of political beliefs at the event, he said. "Even though everybody has different opinions," he said, "everybody's getting along."

In a message marking the 243rd anniversary of the Founding Fathers' adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Trump called the document a milestone that "cast off the shackles of tyranny."

The White House said Trump would speak at the Lincoln Memorial in front of a ticket-only, VIP crowd of Republican donors, administration and campaign officials, family members and those who had come to see him or protest what they saw as a divisive intrusion on a traditionally unifying national holiday.

Trump had sounded a defensive note Wednesday, tweeting that the cost "will be very little compared to what it is worth."

"We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel," he said, referring to Maryland's Joint Base Andrews, home for some of the planes expected for the holiday flyover. "We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats."

Trump glossed over the expense of shipping tanks and fighting vehicles to Washington by rail and guarding them for several days, and other costs.

One of the Democrats running for president said "this business of diverting money and military assets to use them as a kind of prop, to prop up a presidential ego, is not reflecting well on our country." Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is a Navy Reserve veteran who served in Afghanistan in 2014.

Some of the Republican president's supporters welcomed his stamp on the holiday.

Rachel McKenna of McKinney, Texas, said her relatives have served in the military and she thought it was important to say "'We love you guys, we appreciate everything you do,' and I love the fact I can see that," as she pointed to the Bradley fighting vehicle positioned near the Lincoln Memorial.

"I've never ever seen one," she said. "I just think it's so cool."

Under White House direction, the Pentagon was arranging for an Air Force B-2 stealth bomber and other warplanes to conduct flyovers. There will be Navy F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team, Army and Coast Guard helicopters and Marine V-22 Ospreys. A small number of Army Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles were stationed in the zone.

Two groups, the National Parks Conservation Foundation and Democracy Forward, want the Interior Department's internal watchdog to investigate what they say may be a "potentially unlawful decision to divert" national parks money to Trump's "spectacle."

Trump and the event's organizers could be on the hook to reimburse the government millions of dollars if he goes into campaign mode, in violation of federal appropriations law and the Hatch Act, which bars politicking on government time, said Walter Shaub, who left the Office of Government Ethics in 2017 after clashing with the White House over ethics and disclosure issues.

Trump originally wanted a parade with military tanks and other machinery rolling through downtown Washington ever since he was enthralled by a two-hour procession of French military tanks and fighter jets in Paris on Bastille Day in July 2017 .

Later that year Trump said he'd have a similar parade in Washington on the Fourth of July, 2018, and would "top" the Paris show. The event ended up being pushed to Veterans Day, which conflicted with one of Trump's trips abroad, before it was scuttled after cost estimates exceeding $90 million were made public.

Washington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades, featuring a parade along Constitution Avenue, a concert on the Capitol lawn with music by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks beginning at dusk near the Washington Monument.

Trump altered the lineup by adding his speech, moving the fireworks closer to the Lincoln Memorial and summoning the tanks and warplanes.

Associated Press writers Kali Robinson, Matthew Daly, Ellen Knickmeyer and Christopher Rugaber contributed to this report. </s> A national holiday dedicated to Independence Day will be filled with parades, concerts, holiday dinner and, of course, fireworks. Boston, Philadelphia, new York and other cities across the country conducted a massive celebration. Edition 23 Foxnews gathered the main events of the day.

Macy’s fireworks over the East river in new York is one of the largest in the country. Spectacular fireworks and concert will be broadcast by NBC. Will perform international stars: Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, brad Paisley, Jennifer Hudson, Ciara, Khalid and Derek Hough.

Boston celebrates independence Day with the traditional procession, a concert of the Boston POPs and the fireworks.

The celebrations began on Thursday morning at city hall. Then the marchers went to the Old Granary Burial Ground, where are buried Samuel Adams, John Hancock and other prominent leaders.

They will also make a stop at the old Parliament of the state, where a member of the Ancient and honorable artillery company will read from the balcony the Declaration of independence, as it was in 1776.

The procession will end at Faneuil hall, where the Dean of Boston University, Kenneth Elmore will speak on the traditions relating to 1773.

In the evening residents expects fireworks over the Charles river and a performance of the Boston Pops orchestra.

The country’s oldest fourth of July celebration was held in the city of Bristol, state of Rhode island. The events began on the day of the flag and ended with the fourth of July parade, which was attended by tens of thousands of people. The celebration of this day was first held in this seaside town in 1785 and since then is held annually.

Traditional parade in Washington was just a warm-up, because all the attention paid to the main festive event of the district of Columbia — the President’s speech and military parade.

For decades, independence Day in Washington celebrated with a parade along Constitution Avenue and on the lawn of the Capitol with music by the National Symphony orchestra and fireworks at the monument to George Washington.

This year the President trump is scheduled to speak in front of people at 18:30 et. He also will bring tanks and military aircraft at evening parade.

PBS will broadcast the concert on the West lawn of the Capitol with the participation of leading John Stamos and artists such as Carole king, Vanessa Williams, Colbie Caillat, Lee Brice and the O jays.

Early Thursday morning, the President congratulated the Americans with a holiday in his microblog on Twitter: “Happy fourth of July!”

“People come from everywhere to join us today at the festival, which promises to be one of the most ambitious in the history of our country, – he wrote. – “Salute to America” event, which will be held whole day at the Lincoln memorial, and its culmination will be a massive military parade with the participation of the most modern and advanced aircraft in the world.”

The Department of defense on Wednesday confirmed that the acting head of Department, mark Esper and the Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Joseph Dunford took the President’s invitation to participate in the parade.

The event will be attended by other senior officials of the US defense Department. In addition, the White house has also allocated 5,000 tickets for the event military personnel and their families.

Across the country in the Independence Day will be held more than two dozen naturalization ceremonies to welcome new Americans. The ceremony will be held at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and at the home of George Washington at mount Vernon, Virginia.

Vice-President Mike Pence celebrated independence Day, taking 44 of immigrants from 26 countries in the “American family” at the naturalization ceremony in the capital of the country.

At Legoland in winter haven, Florida, the children create a giant flag of the United States of LEGO. There also will be a great holiday fireworks.

In Philadelphia the celebration began with a parade near Independence Hall and will conclude with a concert featuring Meghan Trainor and Jennifer Hudson on the Boulevard of Benjamin Franklin. The annual fireworks show will begin after the concert at the Philadelphia art Museum.

In Connecticut the Independence Day is celebrated very peculiar. Thousands of spectators watched the annual parade Boom Box. According to tradition, participants and spectators are the radios that are configured on the same local station.

The parade’s roots go back to 1986, when the city couldn’t find a band for the annual parade for memorial Day. The organizers have appealed for help to the radio station WILI-AM. Officials of the station said that it’s too late to organise for this festival, but began to plan the celebration of the fourth of July, and so was born the tradition.

Another unusual tradition of Independence Day celebrations has taken root on long island. Here Joey chestnut and Miki Sudo defended their title and won again at the annual contest of eating hot dogs.

Chestnut ate 71 sausage and bun, while Sudo ate 31 hot dogs. Both held on to their records, but easily took home trophies, beating other participants. </s> WASHINGTON — A reality TV host at heart, President Donald Trump is promising the "show of a lifetime" for the hundreds of thousands of revelers who flock to the National Mall every year on the Fourth of July. The tanks are in place for the display of military muscle, and protesters are ready to make their voices heard.

It's been nearly seven decades since a president spoke there on Independence Day. The U.S. was at war in Korea when Harry Truman addressed a large gathering on the Washington Monument grounds, marking the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

There's no such historical marker Thursday for Trump, who for the past two years has sought a moment to orchestrate a display of America's military prowess.

RELATED: Tanks will be part of July Fourth DC celebration

He's calling his event a "Salute to America," honoring the armed forces, and he'll speak at the Lincoln Memorial in front of a ticket-only, VIP crowd of Republican donors, administration and campaign officials, family members and those who flock to see him or protest what they see as a divisive intrusion on a traditionally unifying national holiday.

Trump sounded a defensive note Wednesday, tweeting that cost "will be very little compared to what it is worth."

"We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel," he said, referring to Maryland's Joint Base Andrews, home for some of the planes that are to fly over the Mall on Thursday. "We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats."

Trump glossed over the expense of shipping tanks and fighting vehicles to Washington by rail and guarding them for several days, and other costs.

Some of the president's supporters welcomed Trump's stamp on the holiday.

Rachel McKenna, a Trump supporter from McKinney, Texas, said her relatives have served in the military and she thought it was important to say "'We love you guys, we appreciate everything you do,' and I love the fact I can see that," as she pointed to the Bradley fighting vehicle positioned near the Lincoln Memorial.

"I've never ever seen one," she said. "I just think it's so cool."

Under White House direction, the Pentagon was arranging for an Air Force B-2 stealth bomber and other warplanes to conduct flyovers. There will be Navy F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team, Army and Coast Guard helicopters and Marine V-22 Ospreys.

The White House referred questions about the cost of the military participation to the Pentagon, which said it did not have the answer.

The Air Force said it costs $122,311 an hour to fly a B-2 bomber, which is making the round trip from its home at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Officials said the flight will be considered a training event, with the cost already budgeted. The per-hour flying cost of the F-22 fighter is $65,128.

Two Bradley fighting vehicles were in place Wednesday at the Lincoln Memorial, where Trump will speak. In addition, two 60-ton Army Abrams battle tanks were sent to Washington by rail to be positioned on or near the National Mall, to the dismay of District of Columbia officials.

The presidential Air Force One and Marine One aircraft are also slated to make aerial appearances.

Kevin Donahue, District of Columbia deputy mayor for public safety, told The Associated Press the city expects the federal government to pay for any damage to streets or bridges from moving the tanks. Civil engineers will assess roads and bridges after July 4 to determine if there's been damage.

Donahue said the city doesn't have the jurisdiction to reject the use of tanks and other heavy equipment.

In a separate tweet Wednesday, Trump promised the Lincoln Memorial program "will be the show of a lifetime!" White House officials have stressed that Trump's remarks will be patriotic, but the president often finds it difficult to stay on any kind of script.

But Tracie Lenihan of Spokane, Washington, an independent, said she didn't understand why military equipment is part of the festivities. "I think it cost a lot of money and I'm not sure what it really has to do with the Fourth of July," she said. "I don't hate it. I'm just confused."

Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the Codepink anti-war group, said use of the Bradley fighting vehicles reflected the "politicization of July Fourth and the militarization of July Fourth and we resent this."

"We want it to be a holiday where people are having their picnics and they're watching their fireworks and it's all peaceful and united," she said.

Instead, her group will be fielding a balloon depicting Trump as an angry, diaper-clad baby. But because of flight restrictions, officials would not let the group pump it with helium to make it fly higher and be more visible.

Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., who is among lawmakers overseeing the Interior Department, which has jurisdiction over the National Mall and federal parks, said it was "absolutely outrageous" that the administration will use park money to help defray Thursday's event costs. The National Park Service plans to use nearly $2.5 million intended to help improve parks nationwide, The Washington Post reported late Tuesday, citing anonymous sources.

"These fees are not a slush fund for this administration to use at will," McCollum said in a statement. She promised a congressional hearing.

Trump and the event's organizers could be on the hook to reimburse the government millions of dollars if he goes into campaign mode, in violation of federal appropriations law and the Hatch Act, which bars politicking on government time, said Walter Shaub, who left the Office of Government Ethics in 2017 after clashing with the White House over ethics and disclosure issues.

"There's not a history of disciplined speaking engagements where he sticks to a script," Shaub said of Trump.

Trump originally wanted a parade with military tanks and other machinery rolling through downtown Washington ever since he was enthralled by a two-hour procession of French military tanks and fighter jets in Paris on Bastille Day in July 2017.

Later that year Trump said he'd have a similar parade in Washington on the Fourth of July, 2018, and would "top" the Paris show. The event ended up being pushed to Veterans Day, which conflicted with one of Trump's trips abroad, before it was scuttled after cost estimates exceeding $90 million were made public.

In February, Trump tweeted for the public to "HOLD THE DATE!" for this Fourth of July.

Washington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades, featuring a parade along Constitution Avenue, a concert on the Capitol lawn with music by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks beginning at dusk near the Washington Monument.

Trump altered the lineup by adding his speech, moving the fireworks closer to the Lincoln Memorial and summoning the tanks and warplanes.

Associated Press writers Matthew Daly, Ellen Knickmeyer and Chris Rugaber contributed to this report. </s> President Donald Trump said Friday that he had canceled a planned military parade this fall in the nation’s capital because of the “ridiculously high” price tag given by D.C. officials.

“The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it. When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it,” Trump tweeted.

“Never let someone hold you up! I will instead attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, & go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th. Maybe we will do something next year in D.C. when the cost comes WAY DOWN. Now we can buy some more jet fighters!”

On Thursday, a defense official told NBC News that the upper estimate of the cost of the parade was $92 million, a figure first reported by CNBC. That was way above initial estimates.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, responded to Trump’s claims in a tweet on Friday.

“Yup, I’m Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, the local politician who finally got thru to the reality star in the White House with the realities ($21.6M) of parades/events/demonstrations in Trump America (sad),” she said.

The military parade was requested by Trump earlier this year.

The Department of Defense said Thursday that the parade was being delayed until 2019.

“The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to honor America’s military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War I,” said Col. Rob Manning on Thursday. “We originally targeted November 10, 2018, for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019.”

The estimate for the parade had risen substantially since Trump’s announcement in February when White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told Congress the price could be $10 million to $30 million.

The cost was initially reported as $12 million, based on the cost of the victory parade held in the capital after the 1991 Gulf War, said the official. The Washington Post estimated the cost of the 1991 victory parade as $8 million.

A defense official told NBC News on Thursday that the internal estimate for the parade rose to $25 million after adjusting for inflation. But that did not take into account expenses borne by other federal agencies and some nonmilitary line items.

The $92 million figure is the current uppermost estimate, the defense official previously told NBC News, and includes security, transportation and other expenses.

Serious planning for the parade began in June, four months after Trump directed the Defense Department to organize it.

“There is only one person who wants this parade,” a senior U.S. official told NBC News at the time, referring to Trump.

Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters traveling with him to Bogota, Colombia, that whoever leaked the $92 million figure to the press was “probably smoking something that is legal in my state but not in most,” according to The Associated Press. (Mattis is a native of Washington state.)

He added: “I’m not dignifying that number ($92 million) with a reply. I would discount that, and anybody who said (that number), I’ll almost guarantee you one thing: They probably said, ‘I need to stay anonymous.’ No kidding, because you look like an idiot. And No. 2, whoever wrote it needs to get better sources. I’ll just leave it at that.” </s> US President Donald Trump on Thursday celebrated America's Independence Day with an unprecedented display of country's military might at a parade in the national capital.

Trump became the first US President in over 70 years to deliver an Independence Day address which the Opposition Democratic leaders criticised for what they alleged politicisation of the country's declaration of independence from Britain on July 4, 1776.

Joined by First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, his cabinet colleagues and top military leadership, Trump in his address to thousands of people said this was an occasion to salute the US soldiers and generals.

"Today we come together as one nation. With this very special salute to America. We celebrate our history by people, and the heroes who proudly defend our flag, the brave men and women of the United States military," said the US President.

In his 'Salute to America' address, Trump said the same American spirit that emboldened country's founders has kept its people strong throughout its history.

"To this day that spirit runs through the veins of every American patriot. It lives on in each and every one of you here today. It is the spirit, daring and defiance, excellence and adventure, courage and confidence, loyalty and love that built this country into the most exceptional nation in the history of the world, and our nation is stronger today than it ever was before. it is its strongest now," he said.

The President recalled the upcoming anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. He recognised Gene Kranz, the NASA flight director from that mission, and promised someday soon that the US will "plant the American flag on Mars".

Trump recognised each branch of the armed forces, noting the Space Force would soon be added. He also recognised law enforcement and Gold Star families.

"Our nation has always honoured the heroes who serve our communities. The firefighters, first responders, police, sheriffs... border patrol and all of the brave men and women of law enforcement. On this July 4th, we pay special tribute to the military service members who laid down their lives for our nation," Trump said.

Several separate flyovers of military aircraft took place as Trump spoke about the legacy of the armed forces.

The air platforms which participated in 'Salute to America' included Air Force One; F-18; MH-60 (1), US Air Force Aircraft B-2/F-22; US Marine Corps Aircraft: V-92/V-22; US Army: Aircraft: AH-64 and US Navy: F-35/F-18.

Among other military equipment were M1A2 Abrams Tanks; M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles; M88 Recovery Vehicle and Contact Truck with crew.

"On this July 4, we pay special tribute to the military service members who laid down their lives for our nation. We are deeply moved to be in the presence this evening of gold star families whose loved ones made the supreme sacrifice," Trump said.

Opposition Democratic leaders criticised Trump for what they alleged politicisation of the Independence Day of the United States.

Two protestors were arrested near the parade site. In addition two secret service agents received minor injuries in a flag-burning incident outside the White House. </s> The Defense Department said late Thursday that President Donald Trump's planned military parade in Washington for Veterans Day would be postponed until at least 2019. Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said the White House and the Defense Department "have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019," the Associated Press reported. Earlier in the day, it was reported that the cost estimate for the parade had skyrocketed to $92 million -- about $80 million over the original estimated budget. Trump has called for a grand parade featuring all branches of the military, but critics have called the plan a waste of money. </s> President Donald Trump announced Friday that he personally cancelled the military parade he wanted that was slated to have taken place on November 10, blaming local D.C. politicians for reports of a price tag tens of millions of dollars higher than the original estimated cost."The local politicians who run Washington, D.C. (poorly) know a windfall when they see it," Trump said in a tweet. "When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it."Trump said he would instead plan to attend a separate military parade on Joint Base Andrews in nearby Prince George's County, Maryland, and announced that he would visit Paris in November for the centennial celebration marking 100 years since the end of World War 1.In a response to the president's attack, Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said in a tweet that she did indeed communicate to the administration that the cost of holding a large-scale military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue would far exceed the original base estimate put forward by the administration.On Thursday, a U.S. official had told ABC News that the cost of the parade had risen to $92 million, a significant increase to initial estimates that it could cost $14 million."The Department of Defense and White House have been planning a parade to honor America's military veterans and commemorate the centennial of World War I," said the statement issued Thursday night. "We originally targeted November 10, 2018 for this event but have now agreed to explore opportunities in 2019."The postponement comes on the heels of news that the cost of the parade had ballooned from its initial estimated price tag of $12 million. A U.S. official told ABC News on Thursday that the cost of the parade was now estimated to be $92 million.The official stressed that the cost was an estimate that could vary based off of a final decision on the scope of the parade made by Defense Secretary James Mattis. At the time the secretary had still not signed off on the final plans for the parade.About $50 million is expected to be paid for by the Pentagon with the other $42 million coming from the Department of Homeland Security, the official said.The latest estimate means the cost of the parade could be as high as six times that of the U.S. and South Korean military exercise Trump suspended after he labeled them "provocative" and "very expensive." The cost of the suspended exercise, scheduled to take place this month, was $14 million.The official said that the initial $12 million estimate was based off of a review of the capital's last military parade for the 1991 Gulf War. Before that figure, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told the House Budget Committee in February that the cost could range between $10 and $30 million.Last month, ABC News reported that between 5,000 and 7,000 service members were estimated to march in the parade which was slated for Saturday, November 10, according to a U.S. defense official familiar with parade planning documents.Nearly 3,000 personnel, a mix of civilian and military employees, are planned to be supporting the execution of the parade the week before it takes place. Some of those individuals will be security personnel.In addition to the 5,000 to 7,000 individuals who could be marching, the parade, which was slated to begin at the U.S. Capitol and end at the White House, is expected to feature a mix of vehicles, aircraft, and horses.A March memo from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said no tanks would be used in the parade, only wheeled vehicles in order to "minimize damage to local infrastructure." But on Thursday, CNBC reported that eight tanks have now been approved following an analysis that showed the vehicle's weight would not negatively impact the streets of Washington, D.C.Trump first mentioned the idea of a grand parade after attending France's Bastille Day parade last summer. Then, in February, he asked the Pentagon to begin planning for such a parade to take place in the U.S.The date of November 10 is one day before Veteran's Day, which would have coincided with the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
A major holiday celebration and military parade is held in Washington, D.C., United States, by President Donald Trump to commemorate the Fourth of July/Independence Day.