WASHINGTON — A New York Times journalist drew attention online after objecting to the scale of military flyovers above the nation’s capital during celebrations tied to America’s 250th anniversary.
Lulu Garcia-Navarro, a former NPR host who now hosts “The Interview” for The Times, sparked a wave of reaction on social media after posting about the repeated aircraft flyovers over Washington, D.C.
Garcia-Navarro described the display as unsettling, calling the jets “nerve-wracking” in a post on X, where her comments quickly prompted criticism and mockery from users who viewed the flyovers as part of a patriotic commemoration.
“Why are we having so many jets scorching over DC? Nerve-wracking. I get 250 celebrations, but it feels like the apocalypse,” Garcia-Navarro wrote Friday on X.
Her post came near the start of the scheduled aircraft display, which continued for a little more than three hours on Friday.
The aerial demonstrations were scheduled to run even longer on Independence Day, more than doubling the duration of Friday’s flyovers.
The flyovers saw B-2 bombers, NASA F-5s, Thunderbirds, Ospreys, Golden Knights, and, on Saturday, Air Force One blast through DC’s airspace.
On Saturday, DC also had a record-breaking, dazzling 850,000 fireworks launched, surpassing the prior record of 810,904. For context, DC typically sets off 7,000 at the National Mall to celebrate Independence Day.
Social media erupted at Garcia-Navarro’s contempt for the grandiose spectacle.
“We can hope it’s the apocalypse for the America-hating that your publication foments and spews, the Federalist’s editor-in-chief, Mollie Hemingway, spat back.
“It’s actually really awesome. Even more tomorrow!” Mark Bednar posted on X.
“Have you considered crying about it even harder?” the Federalist’s co-founder and CEO, Sean Davis, snarked.
“I had to check to make sure this wasn’t a parody account,” conservative pundit Nick Sortor chided.
“I’m so sorry this is happening to you,” conservative communicator Steve Guest jabbed.
Garcia-Navarro, who spent time in Kosovo, Colombia, Afghanistan, Israel, and Iraq covering wars, explained that the flyovers and fireworks trigger her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from her time on the battlefield.
“TRIGGER WARNING: Well, Happy Independence Day. I don’t like fireworks either! Why? I have PTSD from covering wars. Your body remembers the sounds of conflict even if you are past the effects,” she explained.
“But also, lots of people don’t like jets and fireworks! My niece who is with me has auditory processing disorder. There are lots of ways to love America and celebrate Independence Day. Enjoy yours!”
