Trump marks US 250th anniversary with partisan speech amid storm chaos
Donald Trump used the US 250th anniversary speech in Washington to blend patriotism with campaign politics. The unusual tone, amid storm-hit celebrations nationwide, underscored how the holiday became part of the midterm battle.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday marked the 250th anniversary of American independence with a speech in Washington that combined patriotic appeals with partisan politics, calling the occasion "one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time". The address came after storms forced a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, even as celebrations across the country were hit by extreme heat and severe weather.
Trump honoured veterans during the event and invoked major moments from US history, but he also used the occasion to push his political message ahead of the November midterms. Across the East Coast, organisers adjusted or cancelled public events as temperatures climbed close to, and in many places crossed, 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while other cities pressed ahead with fireworks, parades and ceremonies.
Speaking in Washington, Trump paid tribute to veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They stood before flags tied to some of the most significant and difficult moments in American history, including one that was draped over Abraham Lincoln's casket and another that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers.
At the same time, Trump moved into political territory that is unusual for an Independence Day speech, which presidents typically use to try to unite the country. He again backed the SAVE America Act, an elections bill facing resistance even from some Republicans in Congress. He also highlighted his support for the Second Amendment and renewed his attacks on communism, a theme that is becoming more central to his message before the November midterms. "We will always be on top," Trump said. "We will never let our country fall. We will always be the best."
The speech capped a holiday celebration that Trump had worked hard to shape in his own style. He was introduced by two musical performers who often appear at his rallies, including Lee Greenwood, who sang "God Bless America". The organisers of the event were largely aligned with the White House, replacing a bipartisan group launched by Congress a decade ago.
Weather became a defining feature of the weekend. Celebrations were cancelled in Hartford, Connecticut, and in Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Spectators at Boston's concert and fireworks were briefly told to shelter before the programme resumed, while an evacuation was also ordered in Philadelphia. New York and Pittsburgh went ahead with fireworks, but changed the timing because of shifting weather conditions.
The disruption was especially sharp in Washington. Signs at the Great American State Fair shortly after 7 pm ET urged people to leave the area, and crowds moved into museums, subway stations and federal buildings near the Mall. At the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, people waited in chairs and sat on the floor in the air conditioning. Hours earlier, Tina Hale, 58, of Cohoes, New York, watched three of her grandchildren dip their hands into a pool of water near a museum, then pointed to the sky as three military jets flew overhead. "If that doesn't make you proud to be an American," she said.
David Koshko, 42, and his wife, Jennifer Koskho, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had come to Washington for a baseball game and planned to stay for the fireworks. After sitting for hours in the heat during the Pittsburgh Pirates' win over the Washington Nationals, they took shade under an overpass near the National Mall and discussed their next stop. "Just to be a part of the 250 years (anniversary) is an amazing thing," said David Koshko, a commercial driver and veteran of the Marine Corps reserves.
In Philadelphia, fireworks were heard as early as midday near the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Hundreds of visitors gathered at Independence Hall in the heat while celebrations also coincided with the France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium, which began with holiday commemorations. "It's one big party in here," said Carlos Alban, who travelled from Chicago for the match, adding that he had seen a fan in the parking lot dressed as one of the Founding Fathers.
In New York, 43 tall ships moved past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River, recalling the pageantry of America's 200th anniversary in 1976. They were followed by a display of air power featuring a stealth bomber and the Navy's Blue Angels. Patrouille de France, the French Air Force's aerobatic team, flew over New York Harbor trailing red, white and blue. "We got up early and just rode our bikes about a mile down here to come see the scene," said Oona Moore of Jersey City, New Jersey. "We saw the tall ships and we saw the planes, you know, all different manner of military aircraft. I've never seen it so close and in the sky at the same time."
Elsewhere, people at George Washington's Mount Vernon took the Oath of Allegiance to become US citizens, standing with eyes closed and hands over their hearts for the national anthem. In Phoenix, Steven Dortch, 25, and his brother JayLn Dortch, 23, gathered at Granada Park to try to start a new July 4 cookout tradition. JayLn Dortch said young people in the US gave him hope because they thought for themselves and did not simply accept what older people said. He added that the country needed to remember the everyday, hardworking people who "keep America going". Overall, the anniversary celebrations brought together presidential politics, patriotic spectacle and public events across the country, even as heat and storms disrupted plans in many places.
With PTI Inputs
US President Donald Trump on Saturday marked the 250th anniversary of American independence with a speech in Washington that combined patriotic appeals with partisan politics, calling the occasion "one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time". The address came after storms forced a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, even as celebrations across the country were hit by extreme heat and severe weather.
Trump honoured veterans during the event and invoked major moments from US history, but he also used the occasion to push his political message ahead of the November midterms. Across the East Coast, organisers adjusted or cancelled public events as temperatures climbed close to, and in many places crossed, 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while other cities pressed ahead with fireworks, parades and ceremonies.
Speaking in Washington, Trump paid tribute to veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They stood before flags tied to some of the most significant and difficult moments in American history, including one that was draped over Abraham Lincoln's casket and another that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers.
At the same time, Trump moved into political territory that is unusual for an Independence Day speech, which presidents typically use to try to unite the country. He again backed the SAVE America Act, an elections bill facing resistance even from some Republicans in Congress. He also highlighted his support for the Second Amendment and renewed his attacks on communism, a theme that is becoming more central to his message before the November midterms. "We will always be on top," Trump said. "We will never let our country fall. We will always be the best."
The speech capped a holiday celebration that Trump had worked hard to shape in his own style. He was introduced by two musical performers who often appear at his rallies, including Lee Greenwood, who sang "God Bless America". The organisers of the event were largely aligned with the White House, replacing a bipartisan group launched by Congress a decade ago.
Weather became a defining feature of the weekend. Celebrations were cancelled in Hartford, Connecticut, and in Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Spectators at Boston's concert and fireworks were briefly told to shelter before the programme resumed, while an evacuation was also ordered in Philadelphia. New York and Pittsburgh went ahead with fireworks, but changed the timing because of shifting weather conditions.
The disruption was especially sharp in Washington. Signs at the Great American State Fair shortly after 7 pm ET urged people to leave the area, and crowds moved into museums, subway stations and federal buildings near the Mall. At the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, people waited in chairs and sat on the floor in the air conditioning. Hours earlier, Tina Hale, 58, of Cohoes, New York, watched three of her grandchildren dip their hands into a pool of water near a museum, then pointed to the sky as three military jets flew overhead. "If that doesn't make you proud to be an American," she said.
David Koshko, 42, and his wife, Jennifer Koskho, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had come to Washington for a baseball game and planned to stay for the fireworks. After sitting for hours in the heat during the Pittsburgh Pirates' win over the Washington Nationals, they took shade under an overpass near the National Mall and discussed their next stop. "Just to be a part of the 250 years (anniversary) is an amazing thing," said David Koshko, a commercial driver and veteran of the Marine Corps reserves.
In Philadelphia, fireworks were heard as early as midday near the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Hundreds of visitors gathered at Independence Hall in the heat while celebrations also coincided with the France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium, which began with holiday commemorations. "It's one big party in here," said Carlos Alban, who travelled from Chicago for the match, adding that he had seen a fan in the parking lot dressed as one of the Founding Fathers.
In New York, 43 tall ships moved past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River, recalling the pageantry of America's 200th anniversary in 1976. They were followed by a display of air power featuring a stealth bomber and the Navy's Blue Angels. Patrouille de France, the French Air Force's aerobatic team, flew over New York Harbor trailing red, white and blue. "We got up early and just rode our bikes about a mile down here to come see the scene," said Oona Moore of Jersey City, New Jersey. "We saw the tall ships and we saw the planes, you know, all different manner of military aircraft. I've never seen it so close and in the sky at the same time."
Elsewhere, people at George Washington's Mount Vernon took the Oath of Allegiance to become US citizens, standing with eyes closed and hands over their hearts for the national anthem. In Phoenix, Steven Dortch, 25, and his brother JayLn Dortch, 23, gathered at Granada Park to try to start a new July 4 cookout tradition. JayLn Dortch said young people in the US gave him hope because they thought for themselves and did not simply accept what older people said. He added that the country needed to remember the everyday, hardworking people who "keep America going". Overall, the anniversary celebrations brought together presidential politics, patriotic spectacle and public events across the country, even as heat and storms disrupted plans in many places.
With PTI Inputs
