Trump aims to be our very own Il Duce. Having seen (on TV) the great military parades in North Korea, Moscow, and Beijing, where the Maximum Leader commands all attention, Trump wants the same adulation. He has joked about serving a third term because his base won’t let him leave. He has admired the fact that Kim is President for Life.

His delusions of his own magnificence are limitless. Any day now, I expect to see him decked out in a military u inform with epaulets, covered with decorations he awarded to himself. Designed, no doubt, by Ivanka.

Trump has redesigned the annual July 4 event as a celebration of himself.

The Washington Post describes the preparations here.

There is no estimate of the full cost of the parade because the last time he planned a military parade, the cost was estimated to be $92 million. Public outrage was so great that the parade was canceled. This time, no true cost estimates are available until the event is over.

There will be two Abrams tanks, each of which weigh 60-70 tons. Local officials worry that the area around the Lincoln Memorial is not strong enough to carry this weight. They are fearful of serious damage to underground storage areas. Trump also promises “brand-new” Sherman tanks of World War II vintage, which have not been produced for decades. 

Meanwhile, the White House has said VIP tickets will be issued for members of the administration and their family members and friends. HuffPost reported Monday that the tickets are also going to Republican donors and political appointees, and the Republican National Committee confirmed that it had received passes to Trump’s address….

Trump intends to address the nation from the memorial, upending tradition and bringing extensive change to the annual Fourth of July fireworks display.

His “Salute to America,” with music, military demonstrations and flyovers by Air Force One, the Navy’s Blue Angels flight team and other aircraft, is to take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m…

Trump said Monday that this Fourth will be “like no other.”

But local officials and critics have complained that he is turning a nonpartisan celebration of the nation’s birthday into a political campaign event.

No president has been part of a Fourth of July celebration on the Mall in recent memory…

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District’s nonvoting delegate in Congress, said Monday that battle tanks could significantly damage the Mall, not long after the Park Service spent millions of dollars in public money to refurbish the site.

“These tanks, heavy equipment, and weapons of war have no place on the Mall at all, particularly as we celebrate the Fourth of July,” she said in a statement.

And Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) called on Trump to “personally reimburse” taxpayers for any damage done to local roads and bridges during the event.