Newsman: President Donald Trump holds rally to celebrate July 4th in DC After facing a few weather-related delays and facing the extreme heat and marked America’s 250th on Saturday night with a speech on the National Mall in the nation’s capital.
On Saturday President Trump in his Fourth of July address, praised the American spirit and the founders who fought the British 250 years ago to pave the path to American independence — hours after the event was delayed by weather in the nation’s capital.
President Trump’s five-hour Freedom 250 “Salute to America” event was scrapped when an approaching storm forced guests inside nearby museums and federal office buildings. President Trump holds rally to celebrate July 4th in DC After facing a few weather-related delays and facing the extreme heat.
The “Salute to America 250 Celebration & Fireworks” celebration was slated to begin at 7 p.m. but did not start until 10:45 p.m.
Taking the stage after 11 p.m. to a still sizable but slimmed down crowd, President Trump said ,
“Tonight we pledge allegiance to the flag they gave us, and we say, God bless the immortal patriots of 1776. And long live the cause of independence.”
“For two and a half centuries, our American republic has stood as the grounding achievement of human history,” Trump said, walking through the country’s achievement from the Revolutionary War to his presidency.
“You’re very special people, and we have a very special country,” he added, looking out at the crowd.
‘It’s a historic moment’
He delivered a speech highlighting American history, military veterans, his political ambitions and policy priorities.
President Trump, during his speech touted several historic flags that hung on the stage behind him, including an original 1777 flag and the flag that draped over President Abraham Lincoln’s coffin. The president had multiple veterans and Medal of Honor recipients from various American wars come onto stage at several points to salute the historic flags.
The speech, which culminated in a flyover and a massive fireworks display, came following a major disruption to the show as crowds who waited for hours in the record heat were forced to evacuate the grounds due to thunderstorms hitting Washington, D.C.
At times during the evacuation, there was confusion among the crowd as the dispersal orders were announced.
The president thanked the crowd for their patience.
“I want to thank everybody, because they did the right thing. They saw lightning. And I said, ‘There’s no way if we have to speak in front of one person at 4 in the morning, I’m going to be here.’ There’s no way we can be deterred,” he said.
The preliminary high temperature in Washington, D.C., Saturday was 102 degrees — making it the hottest July Fourth on record for the city, according to ABC News’ meteorologists. It broke the previous record high of 100 degrees set on July 4, 1919.
President Trump remained determined to give his speech, which he vowed earlier in the week would happen despite the heat.
“One of my very brilliant people backstage said, ‘Don’t worry about it, sir. We can do it. Maybe next week.’ I said, ‘It doesn’t work next week. This is the big day, we want July Fourth,” he said.
Almost all of the musical guests and performances were cancelled due to the late start.
Twelve people on the National Mall and surrounding area were transported to local area hospital because of the triple digit heat as of 8 p.m. Saturday, according to local authorities.
As the evening’s headline event was set to start in Washington — a presidential address followed by what organizers billed as “the largest pyrotechnics display in the history of the world” — the approach of severe storms forced a sudden and chaotic evacuation.
President Trump, determined to give his address on the actual holiday, began speaking a little after 11 p.m. “After two and a half centuries, this American republic still stands tall and strong, and we love each other,” he said. “That showed tonight. You heard it was over, and what happened? You came back!”
At the crack of dawn in San Francisco, hundreds schlepped picnic blankets and lawn chairs to a beach beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, attempting to secure a front-row spot for the night’s fireworks.
Earlier in the day, crowds decked out in red, white and blue gathered in grassy parks along the Hudson River in New York City to watch the parade of tall ships.
In Washington, DC, hundreds of masked members of a White supremacist group known as the Patriot Front marched through the streets the morning of July Fourth chanting “reclaim America” and carrying Confederate flags.
The group, already one of the largest White supremacist organizations in the country, is quickly growing its membership, at a time when hate crimes are on the rise.
Elsewhere, some Americans said Trump’s handling of the country made it difficult to relish the country’s 25 milestone.
States and cities had long been planning for the 250th, though President Trump, whose administration took over the organizing at the federal level, brought particular attention to Washington. National Guard troops poured in by the hundreds and a labyrinth of security fencing went up around the monuments.
In Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed two and a half centuries ago, protesters from around the country gathered for a demonstration against Trump and the war in Iran.
Independence Day celebrations were canceled nationwide and the Brooklyn Bridge briefly caught fire. Yet Americans still found countless ways to celebrate.
