WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s planned July Fourth extravaganza on the National Mall could become a giant Trump rally on the taxpayers’ dime, a Democratic senator cautioned Wednesday. But Interior Secretary David Bernhardt defended Trump’s still-vague Independence Day plans for Washington, D.C., in response to questioning by Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat, at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. Bernhardt, whose job includes oversight of the National Mall and other public lands nationwide, promised to watch every dollar spent. “I think it’s fantastic that the president might take time to join folks” on the National Mall to celebrate Independence Day, Bernhardt said. “We will be having one of the biggest gatherings in the history of Washington, D.C., on July 4th.

Source: National Post May 22, 2019 19:18 UTC