What we know about the tanks in Trump's 'Salute to America' on the Fourth of July

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President Trump wants to celebrate the 4th of July in style in the nation’s capital. Veuer’s Nick Cardona has that story.
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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is implementing a lot of changes to the Fourth of July Celebration on the National Mall, which in recent decades has mostly consisted of some fireworks and some music, by adding a presidential address and some military pomp to the mix. 

Trump said as part of his planned display of military might, “We’re gonna have some tanks stationed outside” during his “Salute to America.” That addition has generated some strong reaction from critics, including from the D.C. City Council, which reacted to the idea by saying, “Tanks, but no tanks.” 

Here is what we know about the planned “static display”: 

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What kind of tanks will be displayed? 

No official announcement has been made about how many tanks there will be or what kind of tanks will be on display.

But news photographers captured images of at least two M1A1 Abrams tanks and two Bradley Fighting Vehicles on flatcars under military guard in a rail yard at the southeastern edge of Washington. The images showed what appears to be a Humvee and an M88 Hercules Recovery Vehicle, but a Defense Department official told USA TODAY those vehicles were sent in support and were not going to be part of the display. 

An unnamed official told The Associated Press that the military vehicles to be used in the celebration were stored at the rail yard. 

What about the ‘brand new Shermans’ 

Trump told reporters on Monday that “some brand new Sherman tanks” would join the “brand new Abrams tanks.” But the M4 Sherman is no longer being produced having been taken out of service in 1957, according to the Military Times. 

It has not been reported that any antique Sherman tanks or other older military equipment will be on display. 

How much will it cost? 

A preliminary estimate of the cost for transporting and displaying the tanks is about $870,000, according to a congressional aide who was not authorized to speak publicly about the plan. 

Will they be part of a parade? 

As noted above, the tanks will be on “static display.” 

“You’ve got to be pretty careful with the tanks because the roads have a tendency not to like to carry heavy tanks,” Trump explained on Monday. “So we have to put them in certain areas.” 

In their tweet objecting to the tanks, the D.C. City Council included an image of a March 2018 letter from the Department of Defense that said  “no tanks” could be used in a military parade because “consideration must be given to minimize damage to local infrastructure.” 

The Washington Post reported that engineers are studying whether the 60-ton tanks could damage the underground rooms that are part of the Lincoln Memorial, even if they remain stationary. 

What about damage to bridges? 

Some people on social media expressed concern that bridges, particularly the Memorial Bridge leading to Arlington National Cemetery could be damaged by the tanks in response to an article from The New York Times. But the tanks were transported by rail and there do not appear to be any plans for them to travel over any local bridges or to Arlington. 

What has the reaction been? 

Several pundits and politicians and celebrities objected to the additions of the tanks. 

“When I was a child, we saw pictures of military parades in the Soviet Union,” tweeted Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson. “We were told we don’t do that, that we’re proud of the fact that we don’t do that because we don’t wish to be a militarized society. Celebrating July 4 with army tanks on the National Mall is repugnant.”

“Trump says there will be military tanks at Fourth of July celebration, tweeted NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell. “This is so beyond the spirit of the holiday.” 

“Autocrats show off their military weapons to compensate for their inferiority,” said Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif. “Above all else, this is a waste of $$$.” 

Former Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., said Trump was displaying the tanks to “feed his big fat ego.” 

An unheard of 115 degrees in France, one of our allies, and Mr Trump is only interested in putting tanks on the Mall for his salute to himself July 4th. I am so ashamed.

— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) July 2, 2019

But others supported the idea. 

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., told the Times that he liked the idea. 

“Other than the fact they have to pay to fix the streets, who cares?” Gingrich said.

Is it unprecedented? 

There have been other displays of military equipment on the Mall, including much larger ones than what Trump has planned. 

Public Service Recognition Week, which has been commemorated on the first week of May since 1985, often includes military displays, including tanks, on the National Mall.

After the U.S. successfully drove Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in 1991, President George H.W. Bush celebrated the success of Operation Desert Storm with a massive victory parade that drew 800,000 people to the National Mall. Abrams tanks, along with a wide array of other military vehicles, rolled down Pennsylvania Avenue in the “National Victory Celebration.” 

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