President Donald Trump spoke on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., after severe storms delayed his July 4 address.
Crowds at the Freedom 250 celebration in Washington, D.C., were forced to evacuate and seek shelter due to severe weather Saturday evening. The president claimed 375,000 people were evacuated from the National Mall, and that about 150,000 made it back for his 11 p.m. speech.
Trump’s speech mostly focused on the success of America, but he did discuss his agenda at several points.
Trump voiced his support for the SAVE America Act — which would, among other things, require voters to show ID when casting ballots — and declared that “America is a nation of winners.” He also railed against communism and vowed that America “will never be a communist country.”
Afterward, the president sat with first lady Melania Trump to watch as a massive fireworks show lit up Washington’s skies.
Earlier Saturday, extreme heat forced organizers to cancel Washington’s Independence Day parade. Hundreds of members of the neofascist group Patriot Front also gathered in the nation’s capital this afternoon, chanting “reclaim America” as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary.
Key Points
- Donald Trump used his America 250 speech to brag about himself
- Trump mocked over 'immortible'
- Trump rails against communism in Fourth of July speech
- Trump says 150,000 people filled the National Mall to watch his speech
Watch: Key moments as Trump rants about communism in delayed America 250 speech
18:44 , Independent Video
Trump's administration won't seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
18:03 , AP
The Trump administration will not seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Sunday as he faced new questions about the troubled project and the taxpayer money involved.
Like President Donald Trump, Burgum said he was 100% sure that vandals caused the damage to the century-old Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. Trump has charged that a 350-foot gash was cut into the pool's liner in the midst of recent renovations, while Burgum described it as multiple cuts adding up to that figure. He also said the pool would have to be at least partially drained in the coming week to finish the repairs.
The repairs will not be opened up to new contractors, he said.
“We’ll use the same company, because they did a fantastic job,” Burgum told CNN's “State of the Union." ”Thankfully, the vandalism was small. It was bad. I mean, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair, so then it could fall into a felony ... just like damaging any other government property could. But the job that was done to fix the Reflecting Pool was done extremely well."
Trump marks 250 years since the American Revolution holding more power than ever
17:30 , Alex Woodward
Donald Trump possess more presidential power than any of his predecessors in generations. That power, according to legal scholars and several Supreme Court justices, goes beyond the scope of the monarchy from which Americans fought to liberate themselves.
Read more from Alex Woodward:
Trump marks 250 years since the American Revolution holding more power than ever
Trump mocked after Fox News shows him watching himself on Fox News during live coverage
17:00 , Isabel Keane
President Donald Trump was raised eyebrows online after Fox News aired footage of him watching himself during their live coverage on the Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C.
The president was seen watching the Fox News coverage alongside First Lady Melania Trump hours after lightning forced thousands of attendees to evacuate the Great American State Fair, with the severe storm pushing back Trump’s address to the nation to 11 p.m.
Trump then waved at the Fox News crew as he watched along, with host Harris Faulkner saying: “We see you! Hi, Mr President!”
“My neighbor’s cat does this too,” one X user joked.
Another X user chimed in, writing, “If you zoom far enough into the screen on the screen, you can see the soul of America.”
“This almost ended the universe,” another user commented.
Democrat Senators denounces white nationalist group
16:30 , Ariana Baio
Democratic senators denounced the Patriot Front group marching around the nation’s capital Saturday evening.
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia wrote on X: Today, as millions of Americans celebrated 250 years of our independence, a cowardly gang of masked white nationalists marched through our nation’s capital intent on spreading fear and hatred. Our Founders would want us to push back against this hatred.
Senator Ed Markey wrote on X: “We cannot be silent in the face of white nationalists marching in our nation’s capitol. From Massachusetts to Washington D.C. hatred and bigotry have no place here.”
We cannot be silent in the face of white nationalists marching in our nation’s capitol. From Massachusetts to Washington D.C. hatred and bigotry have no place here. https://t.co/rfIgj4aEnO
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) July 4, 2026
Watch: White nationalist Patriot Front gang marches through DC chanting ‘reclaim America’
16:00 , Independent Video
DOGE officially ended on July 4 as agencies push to hire jobs lost under Elon Musk’s cuts
15:30 , Andrew Feinberg
The Trump administration quietly marked the country’s 250th anniversary by quietly declaring independence from the Elon Musk-led cost-cutting project that wreaked havoc across the federal government during President Donald Trump’s first months back in office last year.
Read more from Andrew Feinberg:
DOGE officially ended on July 4 as agencies try fill jobs lost under Elon Musk
Secretary Doug Burgum leans on free speech when asked about white nationalist group
15:00 , Ariana Baio
Asked about the Patriot Front, a white nationalist group, that marched around the D.C. area on Saturday evening, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum excused the behavior as a form of free speech protected in the United States.
“What they stand for is nothing that I could possibly agree with, but one of the foundational principles of the United States, which makes democracy necessary, is free speech,” Burgum told “State of the Union” Sunday.
The interior secretary then cited the ability for a communist to be elected as an example of democracy and free speech – invoking rhetoric about communism that President Trump used in his speech last night.
Burgum insisted that the Patriot Front’s demonstrations were “small things” and a “rare example” of extremism in the U.S.
When asked if he would recommend the president condemn the group, Burgum refused to answer.
“People say things that I think are reprehensible about President Trump, and yet they're allowed to go on because of free speech in our country,” Burgum said.
Trump invokes familiar injustice complaints in speech
14:30 , Ariana Baio
President Donald Trump followed a familiar script during his Fourth of July speech Saturday evening, railing against “communists,” calling on Congress to pass his SAVE Act and hinting that he was unfairly treated in the justice system.
“After 250 years, unlike so many others in the world, in this country we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal justice under the law — although I wasn’t treated that well, but we won’t get into that,” Trump said.
Prior to his re-election, the president was indicted four times – twice federally and twice on state charges. Three of the indictments were dismissed and he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York.
Despite going through a traditional legal process on the cases, the president continues to believe the indictments were wrongly brought against him.
Trump stopped himself when 'third term' came up
13:30 , Katie Hawkinson
As President Donald Trump spoke from the National Mall on Saturday night, he stopped himself when he got to the idea of a 'third term.'
The Constitution forbids a president from serving more than eight years, but that hasn’t stopped Trump and some of his closest allies from floating the idea. Trump made the quip as he bragged about his military efforts.
"We rebuilt our military in my first term. We use it a little in our - actually, I should say third term, but I won't do that, because I don't want any controversy,” he said.
In pictures: Trump speaks on the National Mall
13:15 , Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump spoke on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as America celebrated its 250th anniversary
See pictures from the scene below:
In pictures: DC's fireworks show
12:00 , Katie Hawkinson
Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C., included a massive fireworks show that began shortly after midnight following President Donald Trump’s speech.
Check out the stunning display below:
Trump used his America 250 speech to brag about himself
10:45 , Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump spoke on Saturday night about America's success and its history.
He mostly stayed on script during the address, but did mention some of his political agenda and promoted himself throughout his speech. He blasted Communism and claimed America is stronger today than at any point in history
"Over 250 years, 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, and that’s shown tonight," Trump said.
Trump mocked over 'immortible'
09:15 , Katie Hawkinson
At one point in his speech, Trump said “immortible,” and that fumble led to mocking online.
The word now becomes the latest in a string of made-up phrases coined by the president. Several on the internet noticed the misspeak - and pounced.
"Thank goodness he isn't immortible," one X user said.
“A new meme word, yay!" another added.
Trump gets partisan shots in during his America 250 address to demand voter ID and slam communism
08:00 , Andrew Feinberg
After record heat and severe thunderstorms forced America’s 250th birthday party to downsize and later evacuate the venue for fear of lightning strikes, President Donald Trump forced the show to go on so he could have his star turn at the center of the show long after many Americans had finished celebrating.
Keep reading:
Trump gets partisan shots in during his late night America 250 address
Trump brings out Artemis crew during his speech
06:30 , Katie Hawkinson
At one point in his speech, President Donald Trump brought out the crew from the recent Artemis II mission to the stage.
The crowd gave a loud round of applause to the crew that went farther into space than any humans in history.
"We're gonna do the moon, and we're gonna go from there ... we're gonna go to Mars and we're gonna continue to be way ahead,” Trump said.
DC celebrates Fourth of July with fireworks
05:41 , Katie Hawkinson
Washington, D.C., celebrated the Fourth of July with a massive fireworks show after President Donald Trump’s speech.
The president joined first lady Melania Trump to watch the show.
Fireworks light up Washington's skies
05:07 , Katie Hawkinson
A massive Fourth of July fireworks show lit up the skies of Washington, D.C., just as the clock struck midnight.
'The spirit of 1776 still lives within us all': Trump
04:55 , Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump declared that the “spirit of 1776 still lives within us all” as he concluded his Fourth of July speech.
“After 250 years, the spirit of 1776 still lives within us all. It still roars in the hearts of our nation's capital. It still burns in the heart of every patriot, thunders through every city and town, and it still lights the entire world with the glow of American liberty, and there is nothing like that,” Trump said.
“At 250 years old, we may be the oldest constitutional republic on earth, but our country is just getting started, because the best is yet to come,” he added.
Trump rails against communism in Fourth of July speech
04:41 , Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump once again railed against communism in his speech on the National Mall.
“America will never be a communist country ... communism is a loser, and it always will be. The communist system is the opposite of the American system, and the communist system has never worked,” he said.
Just yesterday, Trump called communism a “mortal threat to American liberty” in a dark speech from Mount Rushmore.
Trump says 150,000 people filled the National Mall to watch his speech
04:23 , Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump is speaking now on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Trump claimed about 375,000 people were evacuated from the Freedom 250 celebrations due to severe weather, and that about 150,000 made it back for his speech.
His remarks, which will be followed by a massive fireworks show, began around 11:15 p.m. local time.
Guests watch musical performances ahead of Trump's speech
04:10 , Katie Hawkinson
Guests celebrating the Fourth of July on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., listened to renditions of “Ave Maria,” “God Bless America,” and “God Bless the USA” ahead of President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July speech.
A massive fireworks show will follow Trump’s speech, which the president has promised will be “really long.”
‘It’s a mess’: Crowds complain of chaos ahead of Trump’s speech
03:59 , Rhian Lubin, Katie Hawkinson
People attempting to re-enter the National Mall after it was evacuated due to severe thunderstorms have complained that the security lines are “a mess.”
Revelers are required to pass through security again, the Secret Service said, after they were evacuated early evening and took shelter in museums and federal buildings.
“We’re attempting to get back to the press riser but it’s a mess,” said Taylor Popielarz, a reporter for Spectrum News, in a post on X. “They’re telling everyone — whether you have credentials or VIP passes or nothing at all — to go through the same lines.”
Vaughn Hillyard, a senior White House reporter for MS Now, wrote on X that “massive blobs of people” are trying to reach the National Mall.
Pictures show large crowds waiting to re-enter the National Mall
03:34 , Rhian Lubin
Photographs showed large crowds waiting to re-enter the security checkpoints at the National Mall after being evacuated.
The Secret Service said everyone would need to clear the security checkpoints again following the evacuation.
First lady Melania Trump spotted in the staging area with the president
03:27 , Rhian Lubin
First lady Melania Trump was spotted in the staging area with President Donald Trump ahead of his address to the nation.
The president was seen holding up his phone to the first lady before walking away to take the call.
He was then seen watching Fox News.
Trump is on his way to the National Mall
03:21 , Rhian Lubin
President Donald Trump has left the White House and is on his way to the National Mall, according to the Rapid Response account.
🚨 @POTUS departs the White House for the National Mall, where he'll soon join tens of thousands of Patriots in celebrating 250 years of AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE! 🇺🇸 https://t.co/jOyAZflplE pic.twitter.com/Wsa6QiaGFr
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 5, 2026
