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Agence France-Presse

US President Donald Trump hailed America on its 250th birthday on Saturday as the “crowning achievement” of human history, even as he used the event to renew his attack on domestic opponents he called communists.
In a speech delayed by several hours when storms forced the temporary evacuation of crowds in Washington, Trump claimed that under his presidency the United States was “prouder than ever before.”
While Trump had promised a huge political rally to stamp his brand on the national celebrations, the 80-year-old Republican largely stuck to a more traditionally patriotic script.
“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.
“We will always be on top,” he said. “We will never let our country fall. We will always be the best.”


On stage, he also hailed veterans from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.
But he then hailed the latter two as examples of the battle against “communists” – reprising his message from his speech on Friday night at the famous Mount Rushmore monument.
“Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world, only to have that menace rear its ugly head right back here in America. We’re not going to let it happen,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly hammered home the theme recently ahead of November’s US midterm election, after the anti-establishment left of the Democratic Party won a string of US primary victories.
“It’s like a cancer, you’ve got to cut it out,” he added.
The US leader also used the speech to boast of the recent military campaigns against Iran and Venezuela, saying Washington had “wiped out” Tehran’s military.
But the speech was short by Trump’s standards, at around 45 minutes long.
He went through our great history and had a word for the veterans that were here. He makes us proud to be American
Richard Sullivan, 70, from Virginia
“We love Trump, we loved his speech,” said Richard Sullivan, 70, who came from Virginia with his wife Nancy and was wearing a Freedom 250 T-shirt.
“He went through our great history and had a word for the veterans that were here. He makes us proud to be American.”
A huge fireworks display began after the speech. Trump has said it will set a record as the world’s largest.
Americans braved a scorching heatwave in cities across the east of the country to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1776.

Temperatures soared to a record 39.4 degrees Celsius (103 degrees Fahrenheit) in the capital – an all-time high for July 4 – with 160 million Americans under extreme weather warnings, according to the National Weather Service.
Inclement weather, meanwhile, forced fireworks in New York to be pushed earlier, and resulted in evacuations at a concert in Philadelphia and a celebration on the Charles River in Boston.
The elements also threatened to wreak havoc with Trump’s speech as tens of thousands were ordered to clear the National Mall several hours before his address due to approaching thunderstorms.
While many streamed towards exits, chaos broke out as other attendees refused to leave or tried to surge back in, shouting “charge!” and “Trump! Trump!”
Trump, however, insisted he was pushing ahead with the speech, telling Fox News that if D-Day veterans in World War II could brave bad weather then so could he.

“Experiencing a little heat is a lot less than what a lot of people sacrifice to give us this freedom in this awesome country,” said Randy Cole, 62, a retired civil servant attending festivities in Washington.
Yet Trump’s determination to put himself and his political brand front and centre of the 250th anniversary celebration had highlighted the deep divisions caused by his second term in office.
Those divisions were on full display on Saturday near Washington’s Capitol Hill, where masked men – some of them carrying Confederate flags and others sporting logos of the white supremacist Patriot Front – gathered to shout, “Reclaim America!”
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.


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United States

Trump lauds US in storm-delayed 250th birthday speech: ‘we’ll always be on top’

US President Donald Trump watches fireworks from inside a building during the “Salute to America” celebration in Washington on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Visitors shield themselves from dust blown into the air by high winds from a passing storm at the National Mall on Saturday. Photo: AFP

Fireworks explode over the New York City skyline to mark America’s 250th birthday. Photo: AP

Members from the Patriot Front march through Washington on Saturday. Photo: Mark Sherman via AP

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend an event to mark the country’s 250th anniversary on Saturday. Photo: EPA

Fireworks explode during the “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall in Washington. Photo: AP

Visitors wait for Trump to speak at the “Salute to America 250” July 4 celebrations on the National Mall in Washington. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Air Force One takes part in a flyover at a Salute to America Independence Day event at the National Mall in Washington on Saturday. Photo: AP

Trump seeks to put himself centre stage for US Independence Day

US President Donald Trump gestures after speaking at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday. Photo: AP

Ships parade under flyovers during the International Parade of Sail in New York on Saturday. Photo: AP

Patriot Front members wear masks as they march through Washington before Independence Day events on Saturday. Photo: Mark Sherman via AP

Putin and Trump discuss Ukraine, Iran in US Independence Day call

US President Donald Trump (right) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrive at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025. Photo: TNS

A woman cycles past a poster in Berlin in June depicting Trump and Putin kissing. Photo: AFP

People queue to refuel their cars at a Rosneft gas station in Moscow in June. Photo: AFP

As the US turns 250, young Asian-Americans weigh identity and China

Illustration: Henry Wong

Hannah Liu (in grey scarf, front row second from left) and Spencer Tsao (behind her) with fellow members of the board of directors at Chinatown Youth Initiatives. Photo: Handout

Hannah Liu, who moved from Beijing to New York at age seven, says she no longer feels the same need to code-switch between cultures. Photo: Handout

Taiwanese-American Spencer Tsao says Chinese culture is still too often treated as a monolith despite growing interest among Gen Z. Photo: Handout

Evan Wang, a former US national youth poet laureate, says younger Americans tend to be more optimistic about China. Photo: Handout

Phoebe McChesney says many young Americans are more focused on domestic political concerns than anniversary celebrations. Photo: Rosen-Jones Photography

As US turns 250, Trump warns American identity under ‘renewed attack’

President Donald Trump speaks during a celebration for the 250th anniversary of US independence, at Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

A family does push ups on the grass at the The Great American State Fair after it was reopened following an earlier closure due to extreme temperatures on Friday in Washington. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Washington prepares for world-record fireworks, but will it end in a smoke show?

Fireworks illuminate the sky above Washington DC in 2023. A record-shattering display is planned for Saturday. Photo: AFP

A sign for the July 4 fireworks. Photo: Reuters

Fireworks barges on the Potomac River. Photo: AFP

The Great American State Fair on the National Mall on Thursday. Photo: AP

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World

United States & Canada

The US president also condemned communism at the event, saying ‘it’s like a cancer, you’ve got to cut it out’


The US president also condemned communism at the event, saying ‘it’s like a cancer, you’ve got to cut it out’.


Donald Trump

Extreme weather

Weather

US Politics

Trump lauds US in storm-delayed 250th birthday speech: ‘we’ll always be on top’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The US president also condemned communism at the event, saying ‘it’s like a cancer, you’ve got to cut it out’

The US president also condemned communism at the event, saying ‘it’s like a cancer, you’ve got to cut it out’