U.S. military armored vehicles stood near Washington's majestic Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday as President Donald Trump pushed ahead with an elaborate Fourth of July production with him at the center, as critics accused him of hijacking a nonpartisan celebration of America's Independence Day.
Trump, seeking re-election next year, was billing his appearance on Washington's monument-lined National Mall as a tribute to the American armed forces, featuring fighter jet flyovers, military music and an extended fireworks display.
The scale, cost and partisan tone of the show being managed by the former reality TV personality turned Republican politician came under attack from critics, injecting Washington's divisive politics into a national holiday.