As fences go up and parts of the National Mall are locked down, the Trump administration is preparing for a more high-security Independence Day than most Washingtonians are accustomed to.
Visitors heading into the nation’s capital later this week to observe more than 800,000 fireworks being set off the celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday — a more than hundredfold increase in the typical annual sky show — will face near record heat and severe constraints on moving around the city. The event has been designated a special national security event, which is not typical.
“I’ve never seen it like this,” said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, in a press conference Monday.
Much of the National Mall is already fenced off this week for the Great American State Fair, a pet project of President Donald Trump meant to highlight Americana. But traditional viewing areas for the city’s fireworks display, like the grounds of the Washington Monument, have also been fenced off, with security checks planned at entry points.
