President Donald Trump formally kicked off celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary on Wednesday night with a rally on Washington’s National Mall, where the event was presented as part of the Great American State Fair and drew heightened security for Trump-backed Freedom 250 events in the nation’s capital. The spectacle was wrapped in military pageantry, but the real story was the apparatus tightening around a public space: booming flyovers by stealth bombers, military bands, and a crowd funneled into a nearly full segment of the Mall under heavy security.
Who Gets the Stage
Trump used the rally to cast himself as the author of national renewal while the event itself was staged under the watch of federal law enforcement and the Secret Service. He said, “There has never been anything like the United States of America, and together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before,” and added, “Nobody’s laughing at us anymore.” He also said, “The American Dream is alive again. It’s something that nobody thought they’d be saying when you went through that last four years of incompetence.” Trump said he had restored the country to greatness and called the event “the beginning of the golden age of America.”
The crowd was contained to a segment of the National Mall that was nearly full, and Trump could likely see the neon colors of the giant Ferris wheel erected in front of the Capitol. Organizers distributed rectangular cardboard American flags that some attendees used for shade before the sun went down and Trump took the stage. On the menu were burgers, sausages and turkey legs. The program felt like a summer concert, except for the variety of American flag-themed outfits, from overalls to skirts to hats, and there were also plenty of “Make America Great Again” hats.
What the Security State Calls Celebration
Trump’s appearance was announced after several musicians, including Young MC, Martina McBride and the Commodores, canceled their concerts because of concerns the event had become politicized. Instead, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the crowd and said Trump is “the greatest president that’s ever existed in this country since George Washington.” Trump said he would again be addressing a Washington rally on July Fourth, telling the crowd, “Your favorite president will be speaking so please show up.” The rally launched weeks of celebrations about America and its 1776 founding as part of “The Great American State Fair” on the mall, the national park that stretches from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.
USA TODAY reported that the June 24 kickoff featuring President Donald Trump would see extra security as part of a big boost to protect Trump-backed Freedom 250 events in Washington, D.C. Federal authorities said security threats against the festivities were more than theoretical. The rally came less than two weeks after authorities said they stopped an elaborate plot against the June 14 Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House involving drones and explosives. Public safety experts and current and former federal officers said they had confidence in the agencies involved in securing the upcoming celebrations, while noting the U.S. Secret Service was in charge of protecting Trump.
Donald Lane, a former U.S. Secret Service agent, said, “This is nothing new for DC.” Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant Homeland Security secretary in the Obama administration, said, “These are events that have been known by the Secret Service for a long while. So, they've had a good runway in terms of preparation,” and added, “What they weren't prepared for was the political overlay that Trump has inserted into what was supposed to be apolitical,” and “And given our times, a political event creates a heightened risk environment. And that's a surprise variable – and the Secret Service doesn't like surprises.”
Who Controls the Mall
The July 4 celebration on the National Mall has been designated a “National Special Security Event,” meaning the Department of Homeland Security has identified it as a “potential target for terrorism or other criminal activity.” The other Trump-backed Freedom 250 events, including the June 24 rally, were described as top priorities for federal law enforcement agencies but did not receive the extra designation. The FBI is the lead law enforcement agency responsible for handling terrorist threats and intelligence targeting the summer events, and Darren Cox, an assistant FBI director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office, said at a June 2 security briefing that “At this time, we are not tracking any credible threats to the events of this summer,” adding, “With that being said it comes as no surprise to anyone that DC on a normal day is a target rich environment, and we are prepared for any threats.”
Tara McLeese, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, said the Secret Service is responsible for designing, coordinating and implementing all operational security measures, including control of protective details for VIPs like Trump, airspace security and credentialing of guests. Other agencies involved include the U.S. Capitol Police, the U.S. Park Police, the Metropolitan Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
Cox said the FBI would bring SWAT officers, crisis negotiators, evidence response teams, bomb technicians and anti-drone systems, and that federal agents would work to scrape the web to identify and verify potential threats online. The U.S. Park Police will provide horse-mounted patrolmen, and chief Scott Brecht said sniper teams will be placed in “strategic locations” throughout the capital. Brecht said, “They will be the eyes of the events,” and added, “not only providing threat mitigation but real time crowd information.” Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard, the commanding general of the DC National Guard, said National Guard soldiers and airmen will be tasked with crowd control, traffic management and security patrols. Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring said, “The U.S. Secret Service constantly maintains a state of heightened security and operational readiness at our protective sites in Washington, DC,” and added, “We continue to coordinate closely with our law enforcement partners as we prepare for several major events in DC this summer.”
The Price of “Order”
Officials said the events are expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the city over the next two months. The Secret Service has said this year’s fireworks display will be more heavily guarded than any in recent history. Trump is expected to deliver remarks at the fireworks event, which coincides with the Great American State Fair and a FIFA World Cup watch party on the National Mall. Those wishing to attend the events will need to pass through magnetometers and bag-checks. Secret Service and FBI officials reminded people not to bring remote-controlled aircraft to the events on the National Mall, which is considered a “No Drone Zone.” Cox said unauthorized drone flights can result in the seizure of drones, the arrest of their operators and civil penalties up to $100,000. At the upcoming events, the FBI and Secret Service will deploy “counter unmanned aircraft systems or counter UAS” designed to neutralize drones.
The security concerns were heightened by the alleged plot against the June 14 UFC event at the White House, which prosecutors said involved drones and multiple gunmen who planned to “kill” top officials at the event commemorating the nation’s founding. The event was attended by Trump, several Cabinet members and celebrities. FBI Director Kash Patel said the plot was stopped “cold.” The FBI became aware of the alleged plot after one of the suspect’s mothers called police with concerns about her son's online behavior, recent firearms purchase and plans to travel, according to a criminal complaint. Local authorities passed the information to federal investigators, who said they combed through an online chat with detailed plans to attack the event on the White House lawn, including maps, escape routes and a “safe house.” Authorities arrested seven suspects in multiple states, including California, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio.
The summer events also come amid other recent violence and threats in Washington, including a shooting outside the White House in May and a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ dinner in April. Scott Duffey, a former FBI agent and co-director of the Criminal Justice Institute at Wilmington University in Delaware, said, “If that checkpoint wasn’t there, with those agents, he could have made it inside the ballroom,” and added, “It’s unfortunate, but these extreme security measures are the new normal.” Less than a month after the correspondent's dinner shooting, another gunman opened fire at a checkpoint outside the White House, where Trump was present at the time. The shooter, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, died at a hospital following an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents.