US President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Sunday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared "one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time".
Speaking in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honoured 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 appeared before flags that symbolised some of the most significant and challenging moments in American history, from the one that was draped over Abraham Lincoln's casket to the one that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers.
Yet Trump also leaned into partisan territory unusual for an Independence Day address, which presidents typically use as a moment to unify the country. Instead, he stumped again for the SAVE America Act, an elections bill that's encountering challenges even from Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress. He highlighted his support for the Second Amendment and revived denunciations of communism, which are becoming an increasingly central part of Trump's message ahead of the November midterms.
The speech capped a holiday that Trump has gone to great lengths to shape to his own tastes. He was introduced by two musical performers who often appear at his trademark rallies, including Lee Greenwood, who performed God Bless America. The event organisers were largely aligned with the White House, supplanting a bipartisan organisation that was launched by Congress a decade ago.
"We will always be on top," Trump said. "We will never let our country fall. We will always be the best."
Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own. Organisers of celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.
Heat is defining the big weekend in many places
The disruption was particularly acute in Washington, where signs at the Great American State Fair posted an alert shortly after 7pm ET encouraging participants to leave the area. Crowds gathered in museums, subway stations and federal buildings near the Mall. At the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre they waited in chairs and sat on the floor to cool off in the air conditioning.
"I’m not going to let some rain stop our 250th," Trump said in a social media post announcing his plans to still deliver a speech, which was expected to begin around 11pm.
Crowds were building in the area several hours before the evacuation. Tina Hale, 58, of Cohoes, New York, watched three of her grandchildren children dip their hands into a pool of water near a museum. Hale pointed toward the sky and urged them to look up as three military jets roared above the crowd.
"If that doesn’t make you proud to be an American," she said.
David Koshko, 42, and his wife, Jennifer Koskho, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, came to Washington for a baseball game but planned to stay for the city’s fireworks show. After baking in the heat for hours during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ win over the Washington Nationals, they took a break in the shade of an overpass near the National Mall to plot 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 began to crack as early as midday in the birthplace of the nation near the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Hundreds of visitors were gathering at Independence Hall in the sweltering heat to await the celebrations coinciding with the France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium, which began with commemorations of the holiday.
"It’s one big party in here," Carlos Alban, who travelled to Philadelphia from Chicago to watch the match, said as he arrived at the stadium, adding that he spotted a fan in the parking lot dressed as one of the Founding Fathers.
About 45 minutes before another World Cup match in Houston, a message from astronauts aboard the International Space Station noting the holiday was beamed into the stadium.
In New York, tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River, recalling the fanfare around America’s 200th anniversary in 1976.
The 43 ships were followed by a display of aerial might with a stealth bomber and the Navy's Blue Angels. Patrouille de France, the French Air Force's acrobatic teams, flew over New York Harbour with their red, white and blue trails, evoking images of the American flag.
"We got up early and just rode our bikes about a mile down here to come see the scene," said Oona Moore, a Jersey City, New Jersey, resident who took in the New York festivities. "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."
Later Sunday, a fire broke out on the Brooklyn Bridge during New York’s fireworks celebration, spreading flames on a section of the bridge and setting off a plume of smoke before being extinguished. Two engines responded to the blaze, the city’s fire department said, adding that such fires are not unexpected and officials keep crowds at a distance during the show for that reason.
At George Washington's Mount Vernon, people took the Oath of Allegiance to become US citizens. They stood with eyes closed and hands over hearts for the national anthem.
In Phoenix, Steven Dortch, 25, and his brother JayLn Dortch, 23, gathered at Granada Park to try to forge a new July 4 cookout tradition. JayLn Dortch said young people in the US give him hope by thinking for themselves and not taking the words from older people at face value.
He said the country needs to keep in mind the everyday, hardworking people who "keep America going".
An uneasy nation gets ready to celebrate
Trump spoke with world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who both congratulated the US as they engage in a war. The president has also heard from Britain's King Charles III and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days.
Inside the US, The celebrations are unfolding against the backdrop of a deep divide this election year that has been expanding for years, visible in everything from political expression to cultural norms to age-old questions over race, class and immigration.
At Mount Rushmore on Saturday, Trump spoke of communism as a "mortal threat to American liberty" with the Republican president saying it was more dangerous than either World War or 9/11.
Without naming Trump, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who is also a democratic socialist and recently backed several successful congressional candidates in their primaries, appeared to reference Trump during a speech Saturday.
"Those ideals upon which our nation was built — they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them," he said.
US Vice President JD Vance said small but loud voices would speak on America's birthday about its imperfections instead of its greatness.
"They will tell you that America is just another country, where the weak struggle against the strong," Vance said, speaking aboard the USS Kearsarge in New York Harbor.
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