President Donald Trump marked the 250th anniversary of the United States on Saturday with a campaign-style speech that repeated his calls for new voting restrictions, warned that “communists” could gain ground in the country and ran through a list of what he called his administration’s achievements.
After a storm delay of nearly two hours, Trump appeared on the National Mall in Washington to deliver remarks that mixed broad patriotic appeals with pointed attacks on perceived ideological threats both at home and abroad. The speech capped weeks of buildup around the anniversary, much of it shaped directly by the White House rather than by the nonpartisan planning body originally set up to oversee it.
Trump praised American achievements including war victories, the lunar landing and the Wright brothers’ first flight, along with the broader U.S. system of government. He also pressed Congress to pass stalled legislation that would limit mail ballots and require proof of citizenship to register to vote. He said he had “wiped out” Iran’s military and warned against what he described as a rising threat of communism inside the United States.
trump warns of communist “cancer,” white nationalists appear
“We like to stop a threat like that immediately and before it begins. It’s like a cancer. You’ve got to cut it out and you got to cut it out fast,” Trump said.
Trump has previously referred to left-wing Democratic candidates who have won a string of primary elections as “communists,” though he did not use that specific label on Saturday.
Presidents before Trump generally stayed away from in-person appearances at July 4 celebrations. Trump has repeatedly blurred the line between official commemoration and campaign politics. Aside from a similar address he gave in 2019, no U.S. president had delivered a July 4 speech on the National Mall since 1951.
Visitors waited hours to get into the event, facing heightened security and temperatures that reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit, or 39 degrees Celsius. The heat wave, among the worst on record for the date, forced organizers to cancel several parades and other events in the area. Authorities ordered an evacuation when a line of thunderstorms moved through, sending spectators into nearby museums and government buildings to shelter until it passed.
Trump had said earlier in the week he planned to “make a really long speech” for the rally, “just to show that I can do anything.” Instead, his remarks lasted less than 40 minutes, shorter than many of his past speeches.
Other attendees included the white nationalist group Patriot Front, which marched through the capital earlier in the day and rode Metro trains serving the region. Police said they had not received reports of violence connected to the group’s presence.
trump seeks to revamp the capital
The Trump administration’s Freedom 250 group has largely taken over planning that had been handled by a nonpartisan body created in 2016 to organize the anniversary. The group fenced off much of the Mall’s 1.5-mile stretch for a “Great American State Fair,” featuring a Ferris wheel alongside displays from conservative organizations and defense contractors. Freedom 250 says the fair is meant to showcase the people and innovations that make the U.S. “the greatest nation on Earth.”
Several Democratic-led states declined to send delegations to the anniversary events, and a number of performers who had been scheduled to appear dropped out, citing concerns about the event’s partisan tone. Trump opened the broader celebration with a rally on June 24.
Crowds at the fair started sparse but grew in the days leading up to the anniversary, with entrance lines stretching several blocks. Gift shops and restaurants at Smithsonian museums near the event reported close to record sales on Friday, according to Frank DiGiovine, a Smithsonian executive.
Other Freedom 250-branded events included a faith rally featuring mostly conservative Christian speakers and a series of sports events, including a mixed martial arts card held on the White House grounds for Trump’s 80th birthday on June 14. An IndyCar race in Washington is scheduled for August.
Freedom 250 also sponsored “Freedom Trucks,” mobile exhibits that critics say present a heavily religious version of American history while downplaying subjects such as slavery and racial injustice.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that most Americans, including three-quarters of Democrats and half of Republicans, believe the events surrounding the 250th anniversary have become too political.
Trump has also pushed to remake large parts of the capital ahead of the anniversary, with mixed results so far. Many fountains and statues around the city have been renovated. But a $15 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool has run into problems. Security cameras and soldiers now stand watch over water still marked by peeling paint and algae.
a shorter speech than promised
Despite Trump’s earlier promise of a lengthy address, Saturday’s remarks moved quickly through a familiar set of talking points before wrapping up. The speech’s brevity stood out against the scale of the surrounding production, from the fenced-off state fair to the extended slate of Freedom 250 programming that has run for weeks.
The anniversary celebrations are set to continue through the summer, with the IndyCar race in August marking one of the final scheduled events tied to the milestone. For now, the mix of extreme heat, political messaging and heavy security has defined the early days of a celebration meant to mark 250 years of American independence.
