This Fourth of July, President Trump is turning his taxpayer-funded Independence Day celebration into an unofficial reelection campaign appearance, complete with a Republican National Committee VIP section. But it seems that many party insiders and major TV networks aren't biting.

Politico reports that the VIP seats for the president’s Independence Day festivities at the Lincoln Memorial aren’t exactly a hot ticket, and that White House staffers are worried low turnout could recall Trump’s infamous inauguration crowd size controversy. Though Trump has been pining for a gaudy military display of his very own since attending a Bastille Day parade in Paris in 2017, planning for tonight’s event seems to have been rushed—and some of the Republican elites that the Trump Administration had hoped might fill the VIP section have made other plans.

"An informal survey of more than a half-dozen Trump donors and allies showed that none plan to attend," Politico reported, noting that some had returned their phone calls from "beaches at least one plane ride away from Washington." And some White House staffers are being allotted up to 10 tickets per person, an increase from the two to four tickets usually awarded for events like the Easter Egg roll—another sign that the administration is trying hard to get bodies in seats.

In addition to the ticket troubles, it seems that TV networks aren’t eager to carry the event. According to The Hollywood Reporter, only Fox News says it will be airing Trump’s "Salute to America" live tonight. ABC and CBS are consigning the broadcast to their streaming services, and MSNBC told THR that the network "will assess in real-time whether or not to air clips" from the event. Trump may be able to stage his strongman-style parade against the advice of military leaders and municipal engineers, but getting people to show up or tune in seems to be a different story.

Gabrielle Bruney Gabrielle Bruney is a writer and editor for Esquire, where she focuses on politics and culture.

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