WASHINGTON ― The commander-in-chief who five decades ago claimed “bone spurs” to avoid a war because he was “never a fan” finally got the military celebration he has wanted since taking office ― but with tepid attendance and a low-energy speech whose reviews are likely to stoke a fresh round of pique from the man who delivered it.

“The First Lady and I wish each and every one of you a happy Independence Day on this truly historic Fourth of July,” President Donald Trump said Thursday from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a pair of armored Bradley Fighting Vehicles staged in front of him.

Trump did not explain what made it “historic,” beyond his decision to inject himself into the capital city’s annual celebration that previous presidents have not taken part in. Thursday morning, he had bragged on Twitter: “People are coming from far and wide to join us today and tonight for what is turning out to be one of the biggest celebrations in the history of our Country.”

That claim, however, wound up being clearly untrue. The crowd in the portion of the National Mall close enough to see the massive television screens set up for the event numbered possibly as little as the high tens of thousands ― in large measure because of the White House’s failure to give away enough tickets to people who would be certain not to boo or protest his speech.

In contrast, the concert and fireworks show that has been a staple of Washington, D.C., July Fourth celebrations for decades routinely draws hundreds of thousands of people to the Mall.

Trump supporters arriving without a “VIP” ticket were turned away at the entrance gates. Some were told ― falsely ― that entrance tickets had been awarded by lottery.

In fact, the White House gave away tickets last week to political appointees in executive branch agencies and Republican donors through the Republican National Committee and Trump’s reelection campaign ― even though Trump’s “Salute to America” was described as a nonpolitical event.

This week, rank-and-file members of the military were offered tickets ― in an apparent attempt to fill up the acres of space cordoned off by the Secret Service to secure the area near the president.

The effect, though, was to keep non-politically-connected Trump supporters a minimum thousand feet away from where Trump stood ― on the far side of a fence that ran across the Mall, including through the Reflecting Pool.

That, however, did not seem to bother at least some Trump fans. Stephen Moreno and his wife, Linda, flew in from Seattle specifically for Trump’s speech.

“I can see the big screen,” said Moreno, a 68-year-old retiree who served on an Army helicopter gunship in Vietnam and is now traveling the country with his wife in an RV. He said he and Linda had found a spot on the north side of the Reflecting Pool some 300 yards from the closest TV screen. “We’re here and that’s good enough for us. We’re cool with that.”

The White House for over a week has refused to detail the total number of tickets it distributed and the process it used to do so.

Trump’s inauguration 2 1/2 years ago had a modest attendance, hundreds of thousands fewer than attended that of former President Barack Obama in 2009. News reports and photographs depicting this enraged Trump, who accused the media of purposefully lowballing the crowd size to make him look bad. The day after the inaugural, in fact, Trump complained about it in a speech delivered in front of a memorial wall at CIA headquarters. He claimed ― falsely ― that possibly 2 million people had attended his inaugural.

Trump’s Fourth of July extravaganza Thursday cost taxpayers millions of dollars, although precisely how many millions is not known because the White House has refused to release the costs.

The Washington Post reported that the National Park Service is using $2.5 million in user fees collected from park visitors across the country to help pay for Trump’s celebration. That money is supposed to be used for maintaining the parks ― and the fund is currently facing a $12 billion backlog.