President Trump told reporters on Monday U.S. Army tanks will be present in the National Mall during the July 4 celebrations in Washington, D.C., this week.
The big picture: They're part of Trump's plans for the "Salute to America" event to honor the U.S. military, per AP. There will also be flyovers by Air Force One and the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels jet squadron, and Trump will deliver a speech at the Lincoln Memorial, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The national Fourth of July celebration is often seen as a nonpartisan event, but Trump has inserted himself into the event, Axios' Rashaan Ayesh notes.
Trump said this week's #July4th celebration will feature brand new tanks and "the best fighter jets in the world."
— POLITICO (@politico) July 1, 2019
"Gotta be pretty careful with the tanks because the roads have a tendency not to like to carry heavy tanks so we have to put them in certain areas," he said pic.twitter.com/O3xO6R2JcG
Go deeper: On the Fourth of July, here are reasons to love the U.S.
