Tanks arrive in DC ahead of Trump’s July 4 event

U.S. military tanks arrived in Washington, D.C., via train on Tuesday ahead of their use in President Trump’s July 4 “Salute to America” event on the National Mall.

NBC News captured photos and video of two Bradley and two Abrams tanks arriving in Southeast D.C. The news outlet also spotted support vehicles, including an M88 used to help recover armored equipment.

NBC’s report came after an Associated Press photographer spotted two M1A1 Abrams tanks and four military vehicles on a freight train late Monday.{mosads}

Trump confirmed on Monday afternoon that there will be tanks stationed on the National Mall on the Fourth of July.

“We’re going to have some tanks stationed outside,” Trump said during a bill signing in the Oval Office. “You’ve got to be pretty careful with the tanks because the roads have a tendency not to like to carry heavy tanks. So we have to put them in certain areas.”

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment about how the tanks will be transported to the National Mall.

Trump will deliver remarks from the Lincoln Memorial as part of the Independence Day event, and he has played an active role in its planning. The event will also include flyovers by military aircraft.

Some Democrats have raised concerns about Trump politicizing the Fourth of July and have worried that the involvement of the military could damage local infrastructure and give the appearance of a show of force similar to authoritarian regimes.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who represents a Northern Virginia district, called on Trump to personally reimburse taxpayers for any damage done to local infrastructure during Salute to America.

“President Trump’s attempts to make the annual Independence Day celebration in the National Capital Region about himself are appalling,” Beyer said in a statement on Tuesday. “Even worse, the authoritarian-style trappings he demands, including tanks, will come at a great cost to taxpayers, and threaten significant harm to local roads and bridges.”