As usual, the forecast for July 4 in Washington, DC, looks miserable: The heat index could hit 100, the National Weather Service says, and rain and thunderstorms are likely after 5 PM. Last year’s Fourth was the first since 2013 that we didn’t have any rain. This year we could see downpours, high winds, maybe even hail.
This is all excellent news for President Trump, whose “Salute to America” will take place Thursday evening on the Mall. Bad weather is something organizers might normally wish to avoid, but Trump has already made going to watch the fireworks is a political choice. Trump’s Thursday nightmare is that, like at his inauguration, there are lots of pictures of empty Metro cars or an aerial photograph that shows the crowd was smaller than last year’s.
But! If the the fireworks get rained out or biblical weather otherwise impinges on what he can claim would have been the biggest, best America’s birthday ever, well, it’s not like the the event’s chief producer controls the weather. He just tried to put on a big show. He gets that rain or shine.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
