As much of U.S. dials back July 4 plans, Trump goes big

While public health officials are urging Americans to avoid large crowds and hold more muted Independence Day celebrations amid a spike of coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump is going big for what he is promising will be a “special evening” in nation's capital.

Trump is set hold his “Salute for America” celebration Saturday with a speech from White House South Lawn that he says will celebrate American herit, a military flyover over Washington, and an ermous fireworks display that is expected to draw thousands to National Mall.

celebration comes one day after Trump kicked off holiday weekend by travelling to Mt. Rushmore for a fireworks display near iconic mountain carvings George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and odore Roosevelt. president delivered a fiery speech in which he accused protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a “merciless campaign to wipe out our history.”

Trump is taking part in big garings even as many communities have decided to scrap fireworks, parades and or holiday traditions to try to prevent furr spread of virus that y fear could spurred by large holiday garings.

Still, Trump insisted on moving forward on holding big garings--including Mt. Rushmore event for which South Dakota Gov. Kristi em, a Trump ally, insisted social distancing wasn’t necessary and masks were optional. Trump spent little time in his Mt. Rushmore address reflecting on pandemic, which has killed more than 129,000 Americans.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that mass garings like one scheduled for Washington present a high risk for spread of virus.

Trump’s Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who has stepped up his call for Americans to wear a mask in public, on Friday punted when asked during an interview wher he would caution a loved one from attending such large garings.

“It’s t a yes or ,” Adams told NBC’s “Today Show.” “Every single person has to make up ir own mind. re are people going to beaches, going to barbeques, going to different environments and y are going to have to look at ir individual risk.”

Trump has been aching to see nation return to rmalcy, and has been willing to push envelope furr than many state and big city mayors are willing to go.

Last month, he held his first campaign rally since early March in Tulsa, Okla. Trump is accustomed to jam-packed crowds, but BOK Center was only about a third full for president's first rally of coronavirus era. Days later, he addressed a packed megachurch for a Students for Trump event in Arizona. Few attendees at eir event wore masks.

Interior officials said y would hand out 300,000 face coverings to spectators who gar on National Mall. Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt said visitors would be encourd to wear masks and keep a six-foot distance from one ar. re was indication that would be mandatory, despite recommendations of health officials.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said she didn't have right to shut down holiday spectacle because it’s on federal land, warned federal government about obvious dangers of such a large crowd. On Friday, she urged city’s residents to be smart about how y spend holiday.

“Just because someone invites you to a party doesn’t mean you have to go,” Bowser tweeted Friday.

Elsewhere, goverrs and local officials pleaded with residents to take precautions as y celebrate holiday.

In California, which has seen a surge of cases in recent weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked residents t to gar with people y don’t live with and to avoid crowds. Fireworks shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sand Diego and elsewhere in state were canceled to keep big crowds from forming

“Happy Fourth of July weekend, and wear a mask,” Newsom told his state's residents.

Illiis Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged businesses and residents to comply with public health measures over July 4 holiday weekend, warning that precautions were essential to continue to slow spread of COVID-19.

Pritzker warned he won’t hesitate to close down businesses that don’t abide by capacity requirements, and he encourd people to avoid large crowds and wear face coverings.

“Letting our guard down w would fly in face of progress we’ve made over many months,” Pritzker said.

Some Americans are hoping to make do with ir own firework shows.

At Casey’s Fireworks Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, mostly masked shoppers wove through aisles, selecting ir own explosives after some annual July Fourth shows were cancelled due to COVID-19.

Health officials re have seen a spike in cases that has state trailing only Arizona and Florida in 14-day aver of newly diagsed COVID-19 cases adjusted for population.

fireworks shop, like many around country, has been unexpected beneficiary as more Americans have decided to put on ir own shows. spike in sales started around Memorial Day.

“This whole COVID thing has been really bad all around,” said Forest Casey, a fourth-generation fireworks salesman at family-owned shop. “But for whatever reason it makes people really want to buy fireworks.”

South Carolina has some of most liberal fireworks laws in nation. Stands across state sell pyrotechnic bricks that launch a dozen or more shells with explosions that rival a small town’s annual show.

Some said y are trying to make best of situation. Jamie Parrott, a local pediatric neurologist, said he intends to stay at home with his grandchildren, setting off fireworks safely and eating hamburgers.

“We’ll muddle through,” Parrott said.