WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s plan to mark America’s 250th anniversary of independence with a rally on the National Mall ran into trouble Saturday as severe storms moved toward the nation’s capital, prompting organizers to order the area evacuated.
“Freedom 250 will share updates on programming and doors reopening,” spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said in a statement, urging attendees to take shelter in nearby museums and federal buildings around the National Mall.
Elsewhere, fireworks plans remained on track in cities including Chicago and New York. In New York Harbor, tall ships passed the Statue of Liberty earlier in the day, evoking memories of the grand celebrations that accompanied the nation’s bicentennial in 1976.
Excitement around the milestone anniversary has been growing for months, giving Americans a moment to reflect on the country’s complex journey from former colonies of an empire to a global power in its own right. But as heat across much of the East Coast neared or exceeded triple digits, organizers were forced to scale back, adjust or cancel some events entirely.
Still, moments of celebration unfolded across the country. At George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia, a U.S. Marine from Guinea became a new American citizen, standing in a crisp dress uniform with a quiet smile. In Brattleboro, Vermont, a 7-year-old darted onto a parade route to grab a Tootsie Roll, while in Louisville, Kentucky, people used a feather-tipped Sharpie to sign a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Heat is defining the big weekend in many places
The weather had already become a major concern for celebrations along the East Coast, especially in Washington, where intense heat hung over the day’s events. Shortly after 7 p.m., signs at the Great American State Fair warned attendees to leave the area.
As evacuation instructions sounded over loudspeakers on the National Mall, the response appeared mixed. Some people lingered, talking with others nearby, while many began moving toward the exits. National Guard troops also directed attendees to clear out.
The National Mall offers little protection from severe weather, with its wide, open grassy spaces, though several museums and federal buildings sit close to the park.
Crowds were building in the area several hours before Trump’s speech. Tina Hale, 58, of Cohoes, New York, watched three of her grandchildren children dip their hands into a pool of water near a museum. Hale pointed toward the sky and urged them to look up as three military jets roared above the crowd.
“If that doesn’t make you proud to be an American,” she said.
David Koshko, 42, and his wife, Jennifer Koskho, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, came to Washington for a baseball game but planned to stay for the city’s fireworks show. After baking in the heat for hours during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ win over the Washington Nationals, they took a break in the shade of an overpass near the National Mall to plot their next stop.
“Just to be a part of the 250 years (anniversary) is an amazing thing,” said David Koshko, a commercial driver and veteran of the Marine Corps reserves.
In Philadelphia, fireworks began to crack as early as midday in the birthplace of the nation near the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Hundreds of visitors were gathering at Independence Hall in the sweltering heat to await the celebrations coinciding with the France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium, which began with commemorations of the holiday.
“It’s one big party in here,” Carlos Alban, who traveled to Philadelphia from Chicago to watch the match, said as he arrived at the stadium, adding that he spotted a fan in the parking lot dressed as one of the Founding Fathers.
About 45 minutes before another World Cup match in Houston, a message from astronauts aboard the International Space Station noting the holiday was beamed into the stadium.
In New York, tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River.
The 43 ships were followed by a display of aerial might with a stealth bomber and the Navy’s Blue Angels. Patrouille de France, the French Air Force’s acrobatic teams, flew over New York Harbor with their red, white and blue trails, evoking images of the American flag.
“We got up early and just rode our bikes about a mile down here to come see the scene,” said Oona Moore, a Jersey City, New Jersey, resident who took in the New York festivities. “We saw the tall ships and we saw the planes, you know, all different manner of military aircraft. I’ve never seen it so close and in the sky at the same time.”
At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, people took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens. They stood with eyes closed and hands over hearts for the national anthem.
An uneasy nation gets ready to celebrate
Trump spoke Saturday with world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who both congratulated the U.S. as they engage in a war. The president has also heard from Britain’s King Charles III and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days.
Inside the U.S., The celebrations are unfolding against the backdrop of a deep divide this election year that has been expanding for years, visible in everything from political expression to cultural norms to age-old questions over race, class and immigration.
At Mount Rushmore on Friday, Trump spoke of communism as a “mortal threat to American liberty” with the Republican president saying it was more dangerous than either World War or 9/11.
Without naming Trump, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who is also a democratic socialist and recently backed several successful congressional candidates in their primaries, appeared to reference Trump during a speech Friday.
“Those ideals upon which our nation was built — they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them,” he said.
Vice President JD Vance said small but loud voices would speak on America’s birthday about its imperfections instead of its greatness.
“They will tell you that America is just another country, where the weak struggle against the strong,” Vance said speaking aboard the USS Kearsarge in New York Harbor.
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Associated Press writers Emily Wang in New York, Luis Andres Henao in Philadelphia, Kristie Rieken in Houston, Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Va., Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., Safiyah Riddle in Los Angeles and Jesse Bedayn, Anna Johnson, Will Weissert and Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.
