EASIEST PREDICTION I EVER MADE

Me on July 2, two days before President Trump's Fourth of July TV special:

Unless this event is utterly catastrophic, Trump will believe what Fox News will inevitably say: that it was a remarkable display of patriotism, that America loved it, and that the citizenry wishes he'd create an even bigger and better show next year.

Believe me, he'll try. A year from now, an election will be four months away. There's a good chance Trump will be trailing in the polls. Of course he'll try.

And there it is, as reported by The Washington Post an hour ago:

Days after presiding over a Fourth of July military celebration on the Mall in Washington, President Trump said Monday that he plans to hold a similar extravaganza next year.

“It was a wonderful day for all Americans, and based on its tremendous success, we’re just making the decision — and I think I can say, we’ve made the decision — to do it again next year, and maybe, we can say, for the foreseeable future,” Trump said at an event on environmental protection.

Trump immediately turned this year's event into a campaign ad, of course, even if he didn't call it that.

pic.twitter.com/ldrobJIbrN

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2019

A reminder from a member of Trump's party:

In 2004 when we were making convention film for President Bush, we were explicitly prohibited from using official White House shot video. Now Trump WH is not only using video but paying for full production. This is probably $500,000 of your tax dollars. https://t.co/6Q3tku0ac1

— stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) July 5, 2019

Next year, will Trump stick with last week's formula -- an ostensibly apolitical speech and lots of flyovers? He might, even in the thick of a presidential race. He won't need to do a MAGA rally -- he's the president, which means he can order up those flyovers. Biden, Warren, Harris, Sanders, Buttigieg? They can't order up flyovers.

But now he has a whole year to plan. So I'll repeat my prediction from July 2:

And this time he'll insist that the damn tanks have to roll down Pennsylvania Avenue, no matter how much damage they do to the roads.

Trump gets everything he wants or he throws a tantrum. If he doesn't get it right away -- like this event, which was rejected by his aides in 2017 and 2018 -- he just keeps whining until he wears everyone down. He didn't want the tanks to be stationary. Next year they won't be. I guarantee it.

And if he wins reelection? We'll probably have one of these every month.