RNC files permit for fireworks at Washington Monument after Trump address

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has submitted an application to conduct a fireworks display near the Washington Monument next week after President Trump concludes his acceptance speech at the White House.

The National Park Service received the application last Friday, and its approval is still pending, according to Mike Litterst, chief of communications for the agency.

An RNC spokesman later confirmed the application, which indicates the organization hopes to conduct a brief fireworks show around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 27. The application notes that the event could attract protesters. 

Trump is slated to deliver his speech accepting the Republican nomination on the night of Aug. 27 from the South Lawn of the White House. The president settled on that location after the coronavirus pandemic rendered his original plans of speaking to a crowd in Charlotte, N.C. and later from Jacksonville, Fla., impractical.

“I’ll probably be giving my speech at the White House because it is a great place. It’s a place that makes me feel good, it makes the country feel good,” Trump told the New York Post last week.

Trump’s decision to use the White House as a backdrop for a political speech has drawn outcry from ethics watchdogs and lawmakers in both parties who worry he is politicizing federal property and blatantly using it for his own reelection effort.

The Hatch Act prohibits executive branch officials from campaign activity in their official capacity. While the act does not apply to the president, White House staffers may have a difficult time assisting in the planning and execution of the RNC speech without breaking the law.