President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Fourth of July celebration at the National Mall won’t completely take over the cable airwaves.
MSNBC, for one, doesn’t plan to carry his “Salute to America” live, though the network will assess in real time whether to air clips of the event, a spokesperson told POLITICO.
CNN representatives did not respond to requests for comment. The network is slated to air “The Situation Room” at 6 p.m. and a special report on the rise of white nationalism at 7 p.m., according to TV listings.
The question of whether networks provide airtime comes as Trump’s event has been dogged by criticism for politicizing the typically nonpartisan celebration of America’s independence andmilitarizing it with fighter jets flying overhead and tanks on the ground.
Trump has said he was inspired by Bastille Day in France, though his desire for tanks rolling through Washington has drawn comparisons to military parades in authoritarian regimes.