David Smith, our Washington DC bureau chief, has written up this piece of analysis of Trump’s speech. I’ll leave you with some quotes from that and we’ll wrap up the live blog for the day. Thanks for following along.
All men are created equal. But one is created more equal than others. And his name is Donald Trump.
The US president’s unique interpretation of the declaration of independence was on full display on Thursday when he staged a militaristic, jingoistic and untraditional jamboree at the Lincoln memorial in Washington to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Trump did not fulfill his critics’ worst fears of a politically partisan, campaign-style rally with his “Salute to America” event. Indeed, in a rare plea for unity as he spoke beneath the statue of Abraham Lincoln, he told the crowd: “We are one people chasing one dream and one magnificent destiny. We all share the same heroes, the same home, the same heart, and we are all made by the same almighty God.”
The president did, however, provide the bombastic show of military might that had been widely predicted. Whereas he once liked to build suspense as host of the reality TV show The Apprentice, Trump now has the world’s most fearsome arsenal at his disposal – and he showed it off.
He relished introducing F-22 Raptors and a B-2 stealth bomber that roared loudly over the Washington monument, the reflecting pool and the Lincoln memorial. The rain-soaked crowd whooped, clapped, waved hats in the air and chanted: “USA! USA!”
The showman president, speaking behind rain-streaked bulletproof glass screens, grinned widely and declared: “Great country!”
The fireworks display is now in progress, and is audible all over downtown Washington. Fortunately it has stopped raining.
LIVE: Fireworks light up Washington, D.C., for Independence Day. #FourthofJuly https://t.co/wpbqlN86a0
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) July 5, 2019
Some Independence Day messages from some of the Democratic candidates for president.
Every year on the #FourthOfJuly, presidents, elected leaders, and everyday Americans come together at parades, bbqs, and baseball games to celebrate humankind’s highest ideal — liberty. That’s what we’re celebrating today in Iowa.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 4, 2019
This Independence Day, and every day, I’m thankful for our brave servicemembers who fight to uphold our country’s freedom and values. Fueled by a love of country and optimism in what we can be, I know we can create a better nation for all. #FourthOfJuly
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 4, 2019
Congratulations to all the new U.S. citizens who took part in tonight’s naturalization ceremony at Principal Park! We’re incredibly proud of you. pic.twitter.com/LTl0bMwxNP
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) July 5, 2019
On #IndependenceDay, I’m celebrating our democracy—and recommitting to protect it. Our elections should be as secure as Fort Knox. Instead, they’re less secure than an Amazon account. I have a plan to make voting easy and secure for everyone. pic.twitter.com/aVlfkDnVha
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) July 4, 2019
A reminder of where Trump may have got the inspiration for today’s show of patriotism. When Trump visited France back in July 2017, before his relationship with Emmanuel Macron soured, he was reportedly awed by the show of military force and pomp at their Bastille Day celebrations. As Angelique Chrisafis wrote:
Trump loves military parades – he had reportedly hoped for something on this scale at his own inauguration – and was frequently on his feet and applauding as the French military showcased its troops, tanks and fighter jets, including many US-made planes. White House observers said they had not seen him so happy for months.
Highlights from Trump's speech
- Donald Trump gave a speech at the Lincoln Memorial as part of his Fourth of July “Salute to America” celebrations, making him the first US president in nearly 70 years to address the country on Independence Day.
- Trump gave a surprisingly scripted speech in which he outlined the history of Independence Day, the history of American achievement in various fields, in which he singled out various special invited guests, and then paid tribute to each branch of the military in turn, with each section followed by a fly over of aircraft, as the official song of each military branch was played.
- Despite fears from his critics that Trump would use his speech to politicise the day, his speech was largely patriotic and non-partisan, with only a few attempts by Trump to link the achievements of the country with his administration.
- Mention of “Space Force” resurfaced, with Trump promising that America would “plant the American flag on Mars”.
- Trump also urged people present in the crowds to join up to the military and “make a truly great statement in life.” “And you should do it!” Trump added in one of the few clearly unscripted moments in the speech.
Updated
More pictures here:
A little more from the White House:
The White House sends the following list of aircraft involved in today’s flyovers and other equipment present for the event:
Air Platforms participating in Salute to America:
- Air Force One
- Blue Angels (F-18 (6))
- US Coast Guard Aircraft: MH-60 (1)/ MH-65 (1) / C-130 (1)
- US Air Force Aircraft: B-2 (1) / F-22 (2)
- US Marine Corps Aircraft: V-92 (1) / V-22 (2)
- US Army: Aircraft: AH-64 (4)
- US Navy: F-35 (2) / F-18 (2)
Other Equipment:
- M1A2 Abrams Tanks (2)
- M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles (2)
- M88 Recovery Vehicle (1)
- Contact Truck with crew (1)
Additionally, co-pooler Nikki Schwab noted that an individual in the crowd required medical attention part way through Trump’s remarks after a hot and muggy day. The president did not stop his speech for the incident, but his view of the incident may have been obstructed by equipment set up near the Lincoln Memorial.
#SaluteToAmerica🇺🇸#July4th https://t.co/CMxvvow5um
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2019
The White House press office has just released the list of those “expected to attend” today’s event. (White House pool reports are always a little bit behind events).
The following individuals are expected to attend:
The White House
President Donald J. Trump
First Lady Melania Trump
Vice President Mike Pence
Second Lady Karen Pence
Acting Secretary Mark T. Esper, Department of Defense
Secretary David Bernhardt, Department of the Interior
Secretary Alex Acosta, Department of Labor
Secretary Alex Azar, Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary Elaine Chao, Department of Transportation
Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Environmental Protection Agency
Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative
United States Military Leaders
Gen Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
James McPherson, Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary of the Army
LTG (P) Joseph M. Martin, Incoming Vice Chief of the Staff of the Army
Secretary Richard Spencer, Secretary of the Navy
ADM Bob Burke, Vice Chief of Naval Operations
LtGen Eric Smith, Deputy Commandant, Marine Corps Development Command
Acting Secretary Matthew Donovan, Acting Secretary of the Air Force
Gen Stephen Wilson, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force
LTG Daniel Hokanson, Director of the Army National Guard
ADM Karl Schultz, Commandant of the Coast Guard
The Associated Press has noted how on-script Trump remained today.
“He largely adhered to his script, avoiding diversions into his agenda or re-election campaign,” says AP.
This is certainly how the speech felt listening to it. There were long sections where Trump seemed to be reading, listing dates and facts as he gave historical accounts of many of the armed forces. Indeed, there were some points when the crowd – dare I say it – even seemed a little bored. Certainly, at some moments during these scripted historical sections when Trump stopped for applause, it took a long while for a very muted cheer to struggle free from the crowd.
Mollie Hemingway on Fox News says that those who were critical of Trump’s idea of holding the event and delivering a speech today, will “feel foolish” after hearing Trump’s speech, which she says was unifying. Another Fox commentator says that the speech was “an ode to American exceptionalism”.
We’ll bring you verdicts of Trump’s speech and the entire event as it rolls in. Starting with Fox News , which says Trump’s speech had “quite a State of the Union feel” about it, running through the US’s achievements and 243 history in a one hour speech.
We’ve now got Lee Greenwood’s “I’m proud to be an American/God bless the USA” playing as the Blue Angels fly over.
The lyrics of the chorus of that song go:
And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the USA.
“Glory, glory, hallelujah, his truth is marching on!”
No complaints about the music, which has all been performed with great aplomb today. Trump will be loving the degree of pomp and ceremony.
He is inviting Melania Trump, Mike Pence and others up onto the stage as the Battle Hymn of the Republic is performed by the military band.
“The spirit of America will never fade, never fail, but will reign forever and ever and ever!”
Trump is signing off now, wishing everyone a happy Independence Day.
We have celebrated the armed forces, says Trump, “now we must go forward with the same purpose.”
“As long as we stay true to our purpose... as long as we never ever stop fighting for a better future, there will be nothing that America can not do.”
(“USA! USA!”)
“The future belongs to the brave, the strong, the proud and the free,” says Trump. “We all share the same heroes, the same home, the same heart, and we are all made by the same Almighty God.”
Trump is celebrating the Army’s involvement in the second world war, praising them for their work as “they held the line of civilisation in Korea”, he mentions the Vietnam War, “raining fire” down on Al-qaeda, the liberation of Fallujah and the “obliteration” of the Isis caliphate in Syria, “just recently – 100% gone”, says Trump.
A fly-over for the army.
Praise for the army now.
Flyover ...Air Force pic.twitter.com/b8wZItYrIp
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) July 4, 2019
More Latin from Trump at the end of a story about a Marine who was gravely injured in battle and when visited by his general wrote two words on a piece of paper: “Semper fi” (short for semper fidelis: always faithful, the mott of the Marines).
And we have another fly-by.
Updated
Trump is praising the Marines now.
Fly-over in honour of the navy now.
Praise for the Navy Seals now and the Navy now.
Trump says the “justice sails those waters” and its sailors “are forged by the sea” and are rich with “the salt and the blood”.
Of the Seals, Trump praises them in their role in killing Osama Bin Laden, saying they are force that brings “righteous retribution in deserts and jungles for those who seek to do us harm”.
And we just had a fly-over, which the crowd loved. “USA! USA!”
A reminder of what’s going on right now. Trump is about 25 minutes into his Fourth of July speech. He is currently paying tribute to each branch of the US military in turn. We’ve had the Coast Guard, we’re now at the Air Force.
We’re hearing about the American bombers that “crippled the Nazi war machine”. He quotes Roosevelt who said: “Hitler built walls around his ‘Fortress Europe’ but he forgot to put a roof on it.”
Trump says that the safety of Americans and America is due to the force of the US’s air capabilities, or those, as Trump puts it, “who leave the earth ... and soar into the wild blue yonder.”
“The skies belong to the United States of America,” says Trump.
Trump has tried out some Latin, saying the Coast Guard “the guardians of the sea” stand “Semper paratus”, which for those of you who didn’t take your Latin, is the motto of the United States Coast Guard and means “Always prepared”.
Trump paused for effect after saying it, but it went down like a lead balloon.
Moon landings, civil rights, rock'n'roll ... Donald Trump morphing into Forrest Gump as he conducts a grand tour of American history. No mention of Vietnam war so far though. Follow his July 4th speech with our excellent blog by @MsKateLyons https://t.co/lIpKO1c1qY
— Martin Farrer (@MartinFarrer) July 4, 2019
Trump is celebrating the Coast Guard now. He has lost the crowd a little bit, seems they prefer his more general nationalistic language to the more specific praise of military branches.
Trump is honouring the armed forces in attendance today including three recipients of the Congressional medal of honour, who served in the military and, Trump says, “loved every minute of it”.
And now Trump is urging people to “join our military and make a truly great statement in life. And you should do it!”
It’s easy to hear the ad-libbed moments in this speech.
Some very damp crowds.
More scenes from the #SalutetoAmerica event at the Lincoln Memorial, crowd cheering at video of @realDonaldTrump leaving White House en route to venue @voanews @voairan #FourthofJuly #4thofJuly pic.twitter.com/MygMIIAouZ
— Michael Lipin (@Michael_Lipin) July 4, 2019
Trump is celebrating the suffrage movement and the civil rights movement and has singled out one man who was involved in the Woolworths lunch counter sit-in.
Trump is praising law enforcement now, including ICE, police and firefighters.
“We pay special tribute to the service members and the military,” says Trump.
Trump is honouring the family members of military personnel who “made the supreme sacrifice – thank you.”
Trump is speaking from behind a conspicuous barricade at the rain-soaked #SaluteToAmerica pic.twitter.com/rYXj0BFXmj
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 4, 2019
Rain on the security glass. pic.twitter.com/uc20UXHeYe
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) July 4, 2019
We’re hearing about US achievements in the arts (Westerns etc), the automobile industry, about individuals involved in charitable work. Trump is giving a list of American achievements and impressive Americans.
Trump says the US will plant the American flag on Mars
Now he’s talking about the moon landing.
“We are thrilled to have here tonight the famed flight commander, Gene Kranz”, who led the moon landing mission.
He promises Kranz that soon “we will plant the American flag on [long pause] Mars.”
Trump is celebrating the American spirit, which he says was responsible for ending slavery.
He also says: “Our quest for greatness unleashed a culture of discovery that led Thomas Edison to imagine his lightbulb... and the Wright brothers to look to the sky and imagine the next great frontier.”
“That same American spirit that emboldened our fathers... lives on in each and every one of you,” says Trump.
The American spirit is: “courage and confidence, loyalty and love, excellence and adventure” and Trump says it “built this country into the most exceptional nation in history and it is stronger now that it ever was before, it is at its strongest now.”
The crowd love this: “USA! USA!”
Trump is telling the story of Independence Day, extolling the creation 243 years ago of “the most just and virtuous republic ever conceived”.
“On this day 243 years ago our founding fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sovereign honour to ... defend our God-given rights.”
We are getting a history lesson now, hearing about the troops, the delegates debating the Declaration of Independence, the British coming to crush the revolutionaries etc. etc.
Not a huge amount of audience response here. Trump just paused for applause and it was very slow in coming and very muted. This is not what his crowds are used to.
Updated
Trump begins by saying they are here to celebrate the “heroes who defend our country” the servicemen and women of America.
He is naming the branches of the US military who are there to celebrate the event: “Army, Navy, Air force, Coastguard, Marines and very soon, Space force.”
Donald Trump has begun his Fourth of July speech
Donald Trump is addressing the assembled crowd at the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC in the first speech delivered by a US president on Independence Day in nearly seven decades.
“Hello America! The first lady and I wish everyone of you a truly happy Independence Day. Today we come together as one nation, with this very special salute to America,” he begins.
Updated
The crowd have greeted Trump’s arrival with chants of “USA! USA!”
Donald Trump and Melania Trump have arrived at the event.
The presenting of the colours and the national anthem are underway. Service people carrying flags have marched onstage a military band are performing the national anthem, lots of hands on hearts and boisterous crowd singing.
What has Donald Trump been tweeting today?
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2019
People are coming from far and wide to join us today and tonight for what is turning out to be one of the biggest celebrations in the history of our Country, SALUTE TO AMERICA, an all day event at the Lincoln Memorial, culminating with large scale flyovers of the most modern.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2019
....and advanced aircraft anywhere in the World. Perhaps even Air Force One will do a low & loud sprint over the crowd. That will start at 6:00P.M., but be there early. Then, at 9:00 P.M., a great (to put it mildly) fireworks display. I will speak on behalf of our great Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2019
Trump has been defending the size of the crowds who have come out to hear him speak, which have reportedly been hard to scrape together as service chiefs for the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps set to skip the planned display of military might. As we know, people suggesting he has small crowds is a particular bugbear of the president’s.
Looks like a lot of people already heading to SALUTE TO AMERICA at Lincoln Memorial. It will be well worth the trip and wait. See you there at 6:00 P.M. Amazing music and bands. Thank you ARMY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2019
And he’s optimistic about the weather.
Weather looking good, clearing rapidly and temperatures going down fast. See you in 45 minutes, 6:30 to 7:00 P.M. at Lincoln Memorial!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2019
Updated
And a reminder that not everyone is happy about Trump’s speech today.
What can we expect from Trump’s speech today – the first Fourth of July address delivered by a US president in nearly 70 years? According to excerpts of the speech released by the White House, Trump will say “future of American Freedom” lies with the men and women who are willing to defend it, as it did when America was founded.
Trump says “there will be nothing that America cannot do” as long as Americans remember the nation’s history and “never stop fighting for a better future.”
Trump has ordered the Pentagon to stage military demonstrations, including a flyover of jets, helicopters and other aircraft, for the event that critics are calling a waste of taxpayer dollars and a needless glorification of Trump.
Updated
Donald Trump is en route to the Lincoln memorial. He was pictured getting into the Beast a few minutes ago and should arrive to address crowds shortly.
Mike Pence has arrived at the Lincoln memorial where supporters of the president have gathered, many wearing raincoats, to hear him speak. Though the crowds may not be what Trump has hoped for, as Edward Helmore reports for us.
White House aides have reportedly struggled to draw crowds to Donald Trump’s Fourth of July celebrations, with service chiefs for the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps set to skip the planned display of military might.
Despite facing accusations that he is politicizing an important holiday, emulating displays in authoritarian countries and wasting taxpayers’ money, Trump is set to mark Independence Day by delivering a speech about patriotism on the steps of the Lincoln memorial.
The event, which Trump said would be the “show of a lifetime,” will also feature a flyover by Air Force One, a display of tanks and a lengthier-than-usual fireworks display.
In a morning tweet, Trump called the event “SALUTE TO AMERICA” and claimed people “are coming from far and wide to join us today and tonight for what is turning out to be one of the biggest celebrations in the history”.
That full story from Edward Helmore is here.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Independence Day celebrations in Washington DC, where Donald Trump is due to give a speech in about 20 minutes.
A late afternoon downpour drenched the capital’s Independence Day crowds and presaged an evening of possible on-and-off storms, raising some suspense about whether Trump’s program of military flyovers and the city’s annual 4 July fireworks would be interrupted.
Trump will become the first president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall on Independence Day. “I will speak on behalf of our great Country!” he said in a morning tweet. “Perhaps even Air Force One will do a low & loud sprint over the crowd.”
Updated
