After a delay due to weather conditions, U.S. President Donald Trump began his speech at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on the occasion of the U.S. national holiday and the250th anniversary of the country’s Declaration of Independence.

“I want to thank everyone for doing the right thing. They saw the lightning and I said (…) if I have to speak in front of one person at 4 a.m., I’ll be here. There’s no way they can stop us,” Trump emphasized, as the gathered crowd cheered him on.

A short time earlier, authorities had evacuated the citizens who had gathered at the National Mall, where the main part of the Fourth of July celebrations was to take place, due to the risk of a thunderstorm, asking them to seek shelter in nearby museums and government buildings.

Eventually, authorities allowed the crowd to return, and the U.S. president’s speech began at 11:15 p.m. (local time, 6:15 a.m. Cyprus time). The celebrations will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display featuring nearly 850,000 fireworks.

“Here on the National Mall, we celebrate the triumph of freedom over tyranny, the victory of freedom over oppression, and the enduring triumph of the American spirit from July 4, 1776, to July 4, 2026,” Trump emphasized in his speech, extolling American ideals, while also presenting one of the earliest American flags.

“It dates back to 1777 and features the 13 stars and 13 stripes representing the 13 states that declared independence on July 4,” he explained.

At the same time, the U.S. president once again criticized communism, a favorite topic of his in the speeches he has delivered as part of the events marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.

“Communism is a lost cause and always will be,” he remarked. “Our warriors did not fight against communism on battlefields around the world just so that this threat could emerge here in America,” he added.

In his speech Friday night from Mount Rushmore, Trump had stated: “We are determined and committed to everyone that the citizens of the United States will quickly defeat communism (…) We will drive them out quickly and continue to build our country bigger and better, stronger than ever. America will never become a communist country!”

Trump has frequently resorted to this rhetoric lately, as the November midterm elections approach, in which Republicans fear that the president’s low approval ratings will cost them control of Congress.

Four progressive candidates, including three members of the Democratic Party’s left wing, won the party’s primaries in New York City last week and in Colorado on Tuesday. Progressive candidates have also scored victories in Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Furthermore, the U.S. president referred in his speech to the bill known as the “SAVE America Act,” which he is promoting and which calls for changes to the way federal elections are conducted.

“Today, our country is winning again, and we’re winning like never before. America is back, and we want to keep America great, and we’ll do that by passing the SAVE America Act, which means that all voters must present a voter ID (…) all voters will have to present a little thing called proof of citizenship,” he commented.

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Source: APE-MPE