Good afternoon from Washington, where July Fourth weekend is looking to be a scorcher.
As the town prepares for an Independence Day speech from President Donald Trump followed by what is being billed as “the largest fireworks display in history,” temperatures are expected to be north of 100°.
The fireworks won’t kick off until 11 p.m. in order to make way for Trump’s speech (it’s scheduled for 45 minutes, but officials are already warning it could go longer). The new Air Force One, gifted to Trump by the Qataris and unveiled on Wednesday, is also planned for a flyover.
“On July Fourth it’s going to be approximately 107 degrees out,” Trump warned on a stop in North Dakota this week, “and I’m going to go and I’m going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything.”
In this week’s edition of Party Animals: The view from Trump’s bizarro state fair—which kicked off with an alleged sordid act and sparse crowds. On top of that, my colleague Dan Adler’s dispatch from a UFO conference on Capitol Hill, in which so-called “disclosure” activists, ex-government officials, and one member of Congress debated what lies beyond.
PLUS: Which Hollywood A-lister offered Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick a joint on the roof of the Kennedy Center at Bill Maher’s Mark Twain Prize ceremony?
Also mentioned in this issue: Louis C.K., Kaitlan Collins, Whitney Cummings, Woody Harrelson, Jay Leno, Steve Hilton, John Fetterman, Matt Friend, and Melania Trump.
Got tips? Hit the Party Animals hotline: aidan_mclaughlin@condenast.com. Or text me—my number is 917-817-8266. Complaints will be buried in the same brown box that contains the CIA’s top secret UFO files. Praise will be spelled out in the July Fourth fireworks display.
