On the occasion of the United States marking its 250th birthday, Donald Trump hailed the country as the “crowning achievement” in the annals of human history. This declaration came amidst one of the largest fireworks displays in Washington, as thousands of Americans participated in nationwide celebrations.
The US President’s highly anticipated speech was delayed for several hours due to storms that temporarily cleared the crowds in Washington. Once underway, Trump proclaimed that under his leadership, the nation felt “prouder than ever before.”
“Our American republic, for the past two and a half centuries, stands as the pinnacle of human history,” Trump announced to the tens of thousands gathered at the National Mall.
Trump continued by noting that during these 250 years, many majestic empires and formidable nations have emerged and disappeared. Yet, after all this time, the American republic remains robust and unwavering.
In his address, the President also took the opportunity to criticize his domestic adversaries, labeling them as communists. He advocated for new voting restrictions and boasted about recent military actions against Iran and Venezuela, asserting that the U.S. had “wiped out” Iran’s military capabilities.
The speech was short by Trump’s standards, at around 45 minutes long.
A 40-minute long fireworks display, which organisers hope will break world records, then lit up the night sky over the National Mall.
Along with opposition against the politicisation of US indpendence day from some quarters in a country that has been deeply divided by his second term in office, Trump faced resistance from the elements.
Authorities allowed the crowd to return to an open field near the Washington Monument where Trump was due to speak, after ordering a weather-related evacuation that forced spectators to shelter in nearby museums and government buildings for a few hours.
While many streamed toward exits after the evacuation order, chaos broke out as other attendees refused to leave or tried to surge back in, shouting “charge!” and “Trump! Trump!”
Visitors had waited for hours to get into the event, contending with stepped-up security and temperatures reaching 39C. The record-breaking heat wave forced the cancellation of several parades and other events in the area.
Other visitors included the white nationalist organisation Patriot Front.
The group posted on social media that it had arrived in the capital, and hundreds of people wearing the group’s outfits travelled to the city on metro trains serving the District of Columbia region.
Local police said they had not received any reports of violence.
Past presidents have generally avoided in-person appearances at 4 July celebrations, but Trump has blurred the line between official commemoration and campaign-style politics.
The Trump administration’s Freedom 250 group has largely sidelined a nonpartisan body set up in 2016 to handle the 250th anniversary and has fenced off much of the 2.4km National Mall for a “Great American State Fair” featuring attractions such as a Ferris wheel alongside displays by conservative groups and defence contractors.
Several Democratic-led states declined to send delegations, and many performers scheduled to appear dropped out, citing concerns about partisanship. Trump opened the event with a rally on 24 June.
Trump visited the iconic Mount Rushmore monument in South Dakota on Friday for an address under the stony gaze of his predecessors George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
He said America’s identity was under “renewed attack” from domestic “radicals and extremists,” saving particular ire for a “resurgence of the communist menace.”
It is a theme that the Republican leader has repeatedly hammered home recently, after the anti-establishment left of the Democratic Party won a string of US primary victories.
Outside Washington DC, inclement weather along the Eastern seaboard forced New York’s fireworks to be moved earlier and led to evacuations at a concert in Philadelphia and a celebration on the Charles River in Boston.
For Americans, the 250th anniversary offers a moment for reflection as well as celebration.
A Quinnipiac University Poll showed 61 per cent of Americans thought the US was not living up to the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence — though most Republicans think it does, and most Democrats think it doesn’t.
— With reporting by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.