Boom: Donations to Trump’s July Fourth ‘Salute’ to double fireworks display, longest ever

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Washington’s July Fourth “Salute to America” envisioned by President Trump will conclude with the capital’s longest ever fireworks display thanks to donations being made by two of America’s biggest pyrotechnics outfits.

“We’re gearing up for what I think we can safely say without hyperbole is going to be the biggest fireworks show that D.C. has seen,” said Mike Litterst, spokesman for the National Park Service’s Washington sites.

The Interior Department told Secrets that Phantom Fireworks and the famed family-run Fireworks by Grucci have donated a second display for the national Independence Day celebration to combine with the traditional 20-minute performance by Garden State Fireworks.

Litterst said that result will be a display bigger than the bicentennial celebration on July 4, 1976. “This is going to eclipse that tremendously,” he said.

He said that the Park Service has never had such a donation or put on a “double-barrelled” fireworks display before.

Phantom will supply the additional fireworks and Grucci, which put on the fireworks for Trump’s inauguration, is working up the event display. It is expected to add 15-20 minutes to the traditional show. The donation is valued at $750,000.

“At Phantom Fireworks, we pride ourselves in being the leading retailer of consumer fireworks in the United States, and we want to deliver amazing shows that Americans can be proud of and we feel welcomed to participate in this year’s festivities in partnership with our good friends from Fireworks by Grucci,” said Phantom President and CEO Bruce J. Zoldan.

Typically, the fireworks are launched from near the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln and Washington monuments. This time, they will be launched in a semicircle around Lincoln, which will let viewers sit near the pool for the first time in recent memory.

Interior said that both firms made the donation in support of Trump’s vision for his “Salute to America,” the main daylight event on July Fourth. From 6:30-7:30 p.m., the event will feature a speech by Trump and military displays and flyovers, including that of Air Force One. The fireworks are to begin at 9:07 p.m.

“We are grateful for the generous donation from Fireworks by Grucci and Phantom Fireworks to celebrate America. This is going to be the greatest Fourth of July since the original, with increased access across the National Mall for the public to enjoy music, flyovers, and a spectacular fireworks display,” said Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.

He also told Secrets, “We are expanding access to great areas of the National Mall that have been closed for years. We received an extraordinary donation for a phenomenal fireworks display, and our colleagues from the Department of Defense will be providing a one-of-a-kind music and air power experience. Salute to America is about the American people, and it’s great that President Trump is going to address the country at one of our memorials.”

Trump’s participation has been sneered at by critics, but supporters believe that the president should speak on Independence Day.

In the past, Litterst said, President Harry Truman spoke on July Fourth in Washington, and at least six presidents have traveled to Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to speak on the Fourth. President Ronald Reagan spoke at the Jefferson Memorial on one July 3.

“I think that a sitting U.S. president who wants to go to a national memorial on the Fourth of July to address the nation, that’s certainly something appropriate and certainly something that we’re happy to support,” said Litterst.

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