Trump Wants to Hold His 4th of July ‘Salute to America’ Every Year

President Trump praised his Independence Day demonstration on Monday, and said it would be held every year “for the foreseeable future.”

Trump was effusive about the event, framing it for those who may not have attended, during his remarks at the White House:

Standing on the steps of the great Lincoln Memorial and looking out on the crowds, these incredible big beautiful crowds, braving the weather all the way back to the Washington Monument, we celebrated freedom and all of its magnificence, while saluting our great military.

“Based on its tremendous success,” Trump added, “we’ve made the decision to do it again next year, and maybe, we can say, for the foreseeable future.” This future would seem to presume his 2020 re-election, of course. Trump was unclear as to whether he meant to continue similar celebrations after his time as commander-in-chief.

At the time, Trump praised the “great crowd” that packed the area from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument. Tanks were rolled through the streets, backed by a thunderstorm that poured torrential rain over the dedicated onlookers.

But many did not see the scene as a proper tribute to our nation, and Hollywood took point on social media backlash of the event. “In the face of a humanitarian crisis, that this malignant narcissist would steal taxpayer dollars to stage a partisan display of Autocracy to massage his damaged psyche is nothing short of sociopathic,” said director Rob Reiner.

While similar sentiments echoed across social media, the general public seemed to have responded better than its celebrities. The Rasmussen Reports Daily Presidential Tracking Poll elevated Trump to an estimated 50% approval rating following the event.

Failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton remained unimpressed. “We need a strong national defense,” she tweeted, “but a president shouldn’t need it next to him in a parade to show his patriotism.”