Trump Marks US 250th Anniversary After Storm Evacuates National Mall

President Donald Trump marked the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence with a speech in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall.

The AP reported that Trump declared the milestone “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time,” while he also stumped again for the SAVE America Act and revived denunciations of communism.

Al Jazeera

The Guardian said Trump spoke in Washington DC at 11.15pm after a passing storm delayed his address, and it described celebrations being marred by extreme weather including a dangerous heatwave.

Al Jazeera reported that in Washington DC a thunderstorm delayed Trump’s speech by almost two hours, and it said he addressed a crowd of thousands after the delay.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez told participants to seek shelter at museums and federal buildings near the National Mall as the evacuation order was issued.

The Guardian reported that as of 8pm, emergency services in Washington had treated 51 people with heat-related issues, with 12 taken to nearby hospitals, according to the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

Al Jazeera said visitors had waited hours to get into the event, contending with stepped-up security and temperatures that reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius), and it described the record-breaking heat wave forcing the cancellation of several parades and other events.

Al Jazeera

In the speech, Trump warned against communism, and Al Jazeera quoted him saying, “It’s like a cancer – you’ve got to cut it out”.

The Guardian also quoted Trump saying, “We don’t want communists in our country,” and it said he added that it “never worked, and it never will work.”

USA Today described how nearly all programming for President Donald 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.

Beyond the weather disruptions, the sources tied the anniversary to voting policy, with NPR saying Trump vowed to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and ID to vote and bar most mail-in ballots.

“Trump mixes patriotism with partisanship as he celebrates America’s ‘joyous’ 250th anniversary Trump mixes patriotism with partisanship as he celebrates America’s ‘joyous’ 250th anniversary WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time”

AP News

KSL said Trump repeated calls for new voting restrictions on the National Mall and warned that “communists” could gain ground in the United States.

Al Jazeera reported that the Freedom 250 group fenced off much of the 2.4-kilometre (1.5-mile) National Mall for a “Great American State Fair,” and it said Freedom 250 branding included attractions such as a Ferris wheel alongside displays by conservative groups and defence contractors.

The Guardian said the Freedom 250 celebrations included a high-security perimeter around the site of Trump’s speech and that thousands of National Guards troops had been stationed throughout the city.

NPR said Trump’s speech capped a holiday in which federal and local officials told attendees to evacuate and seek shelter in nearby federal buildings and museums due to “a severe thunderstorm,” before the fireworks display lit up the sky.