Trump plans to speak at Lincoln Memorial on 4th of July in potential rebranding of nonpartisan event

DC officials warn president to refrain from divisive campaign rhetoric on Independence Day

Donald Trump plans to address the nation from the Lincoln Memorial on 4 July as part of an overhauled Independence Day, District of Columbia city officials and US Park police said on Wednesday.

The president had previously floated the idea of speaking at the nationally televised event, but his participation had not been confirmed. His appearance could reshape a decades-old, nonpartisan celebration that annually draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city's monumental core.

US Park police spokesperson Sergeant Eduardo Delgado confirmed that Mr Trump plans to speak at the memorial.

National Park Service spokesperson Mike Litterst declined to give details of the rebranded celebration, which Mr Trump and White House officials are calling "A Salute to America."

"The White House will make a statement," Mr Litterst said. "We continue to work with the White House on creating a Salute to America programme that will bring Americans from all over the country together in (a) celebration of our great nation."

A White House official could not immediately confirm the president's plans.

District of Columbia mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said the Park Service had informed the city that Mr Trump would speak. She has previously said she opposes Mr Trump's efforts to take over the event and inject himself into the programme, citing security, tone and logistics.

The president, however, has made clear over the past two years his desire to stage a grand patriotic display in the nation's capital.

He first announced his plans to speak on Independence Day in a February tweet promising one of the biggest gatherings in Washington history, with a "major fireworks display, entertainment and an address by your favourite President, me."

The administration plans to move the fireworks display from the usual location on the National Mall to a nearby park, and the event may feature a second entertainment stage in addition to the standard free concert on the West Lawn of the US Capitol.

DC delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, the city's nonvoting representative in Congress, said the president's address could change the tenor of what is traditionally a family-friendly event by drawing his detractors and hardcore supporters.

"It's about the worst holiday he could have chosen," said Ms Norton, a Democrat. "You never want to make events like this around a single person. This is the difference between the Soviet Union - the old Soviet Union - and the United States. Cults of personality are not how we operate in this country."

But while the Washington region is heavily Democratic, it is also home to thousands of Trump supporters who may be eager to see the president on Independence Day. The celebration also draws tourists of varying political affiliations across the country.

"I think he's doing a great job, and I'd love to have a front-row seat," said Lori Saxon, a DC resident who administered a Facebook group for Trump supporters during the 2016 election. "I think he just wants to unite the nation, and he's getting a very hard time doing it from the other side."

City officials responsible for managing traffic and providing security said they have received few details from the federal government about Mr Trump's plans, with the holiday just four weeks away.

Kim Dine, a former assistant DC police chief and a former chief of US Capitol police, said the president's changes to the celebration will complicate what had been a well-choreographed event. Depending on the timing of Mr Trump's address and restrictions that could be put in place, attendees may not be able to watch both the speech and the fireworks.

"Managing large crowds is doable but difficult," Mr Dine said. "And when you have the added challenge of VIP presence, or POTUS presence, and the massive amount of security that attends to him, that adds significantly to the whole equation." (POTUS is an acronym for President of the United States.)

The last time law enforcement authorities made substantial changes to their 4 July security plan was after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Those changes included screening spectators entering the National Mall and introducing limited access points.

DC police spokesperson Dustin Sternbeck said the basic underpinning of that plan remains unchanged. Police will still put out maps and visitor guidelines, including lists of prohibited items.

"We are in coordination with our federal partners preparing to plan and host a successful 2019 Independence Day," Mr Sternbeck said, adding that police do not plan anything "that is going to prevent anybody from enjoying the celebration."

Public presidential appearances are rare in Washington, for security reasons. No president has been part of a Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall in recent memory.

President Ronald Reagan participated in a "Star Spangled Salute to America" at the Jefferson Memorial on 3 July 1987, the day before the holiday.

President Harry Truman delivered a speech from the Washington Monument on 4 July 1951, to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and President Abraham Lincoln delivered a belated "Fourth of July" speech from a second-floor window of the White House on 7 July 1863, according to the Park Service.

Mr Trump backed away last year from his proposal to stage a military parade on Pennsylvania Avenue as concerns about expenses grew. The president said, without presenting evidence, that DC officials were inflating the costs.

In an interview last month, Ms Bowser said she hoped the president would refrain from divisive rhetoric if he were to appear on the National Mall on 4 July.

"The president can speak at any event that he wants to speak at," Ms Bowser said then. "And my great hope would be that he recognises that the event is a unifying event that celebrates the birthday of our nation."

The Washington Post