Rep. McCollum Says Trump Is "Hijacking" July 4th Festivities
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A U.S. representative from Minnesota says President Donald Trump is hijacking the nation's Fourth of July festivities.
Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum harshly criticized the president for expanding the regular Independence Day events in Washington to include tanks, bombers and other military machinery.
She says in a statement that Trump is twisting the traditionally patriotic event into a taxpayer-funded, partisan event to promote a "Trumpian cult of personality" rather than the spirit of American independence and freedom.
McCollum is chair of the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Interior Department. She says the most shameful aspect of the event is that "our military is being co-opted for a gratuitous display of strength by a commander in chief who relishes the attention of dictators and despots."
The Trump administration has said the events will be patriotic.
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