United States President Donald Trump praised the United States on its 250th anniversary on Saturday, calling it the “crowning achievement” of human history. At the same time, he used the occasion to repeat his criticism of domestic political opponents, whom he called communists.
In a speech delayed by several hours after storms forced the evacuation of crowds in Washington, Trump said the United States was “prouder than ever before” under his presidency. Although he had promised a large political rally, the 80-year-old Republican mostly followed a traditional patriotic tone.
“For two and a half centuries, our American republic has stood as the crowning achievement of human history,” Trump told tens of thousands of people on the National Mall.
.@POTUS: The world has seen the great empires, vast kingdoms, mighty nations, and terrible tyrants — they came and they went. But after two-and-a-half centuries, this American Republic still stands tall and strong.
This American Flag still waves proud and free and beautiful.We… pic.twitter.com/zeSLBND26D
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 5, 2026
During the event, he also honored veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
However, he described the latter two wars as examples of fighting “communists,” repeating comments he made in a speech at Mount Rushmore the previous night.
“Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world only to have that threat return in America. We are not going to let it happen,” he said.
Trump has recently focused on this theme ahead of the November U.S. midterm elections, after left-wing candidates in the Democratic Party won several primary races.
He added, “It’s like a cancer; you’ve got to cut it out.”
He also spoke about recent military actions involving Iran and Venezuela, saying Washington had “wiped out” Tehran’s military.
The speech lasted about 45 minutes, shorter than his usual addresses.
Many attendees praised the event. Richard Sullivan, 70, from Virginia, said, “We love Trump, we loved his speech. He went through our great history and had a word for the veterans that were here. He makes us proud to be American.”
A large fireworks display followed the speech, which Trump said would be the largest in history.
Americans across the eastern United States celebrated the anniversary of the 1776 Declaration of Independence from Britain while facing a severe heatwave. Temperatures reached a record 103°F (39.4°C) in Washington, D.C., and about 160 million people were under extreme weather warnings, according to the National Weather Service.
Bad weather also disrupted events in New York, Philadelphia and Boston, including evacuations and rescheduling of fireworks.
Storms also affected Trump’s speech, forcing tens of thousands to leave the National Mall before his address due to thunderstorms. Some people refused to leave, leading to confusion and shouting in the crowd.
Trump said he continued with the speech, telling Fox News that if World War II veterans could endure difficult conditions, so could he.
Some attendees said they were willing to tolerate the heat. Randy Cole, 62, a retired civil servant, said, “Experiencing a little heat is a lot less than what a lot of people sacrifice to give us this freedom in this awesome country.”
However, the celebration also reflected deep political divisions in the country during Trump’s second term.
Near Capitol Hill in Washington, masked groups, some carrying Confederate flags and others linked to the white supremacist Patriot Front, gathered shouting, “Reclaim America!”
A Quinnipiac University poll showed 61% of Americans believe the United States is not living up to the ideals in the Declaration of Independence.
