WASHINGTON—Through history, the Fourth of July has been a day for some presidents to declare their independence from the public. They’ve bailed to the beach, the mountains, the golf course, the farm, the ranch. In the middle of the Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was sailing to Hawaii on a fishing and working vacation.
It’s also been a day for some presidents to insert themselves front and center in the fabric of it all.
Teddy Roosevelt drew hundreds of thousands for his July Fourth oratory. John F. Kennedy commanded a huge crowd from Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. In 2019, Donald Trump marshaled tanks, bombers, and other war machinery for the celebration….