Trump says he plans to hold another Fourth of July event in 2020

President Trump said Monday he plans to hold another Fourth of July celebration next year on the National Mall, calling last week’s “Salute to America” a “tremendous success.”

Trump boasted of the “incredible, big, beautiful crowds” that turned out for his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday despite rain that was at times quite heavy.{mosads}

“Based on its tremendous success we’re just making the decision — and I think we can say we’ve made the decision — to do it again next year, and maybe we can say for the foreseeable future,” Trump said.

The president announced his intentions to put on similar events at the top of remarks at the White House about his administration’s environmental agenda.

The idea is likely to stir further consternation among Democrats who raised numerous concerns with Trump’s Salute to America, ranging from its cost to the optics of the massive military presence. Critics will likely further seize on the fact that Trump would be using a national holiday to deliver a speech during a presidential campaign year.

Ahead of last week’s gathering on the Mall, Democrats and advocates for the National Parks system fretted about the exorbitant price tag that stretched into the millions of dollars, and the possible politicization of a typically apolitical holiday, including a designated area for VIP Republican supporters.

The president ultimately delivered a speech this year that was heavy on military imagery and free of political rhetoric. It was accented by several flyovers from military aircraft that Trump had requested.

Trump has largely appeared pleased with the result of the event, retweeting praise for his speech and bragging about the crowd size.

Neither the Department of the Interior nor the Department of Defense have provided specific costs associated with putting on the president’s event.