WASHINGTON – President Trump used a Saturday night address marking America’s 250th birthday to celebrate what he called the nation’s “glory,” while pledging to defend it against what he described as the “cancer” of communism.
“For 250 years, the United States of America has been the hope, the promise, the light, and the glory among all of the nations of the world, all over the world. They try and be like us. Nobody can be like us,” Trump told a roaring crowd of more than 150,000 gathered on the National Mall. Many had endured a thunderstorm-related evacuation before returning to hear the president speak during the 11 p.m. hour.
As he touted the country’s achievements — including honoring Medal of Honor recipients, displaying American flags tied to major military battles, and bringing the Artemis II astronauts on stage — Trump also issued a sharp warning about what he portrayed as a growing danger from the far left.
“America will never be a communist country — won’t happen,” he declared. “Communism is a loser, and it always will be.”
“Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world, only to have that menace rear its ugly head right back here in America. We’re not going to let it happen,” Trump said.
“All these talks from the communists, they haven’t got a chance,” the president asserted, referring to Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates who have won several Democratic primaries this cycle.
“We don’t want communists in our country,” he continued. “Never worked, and it never will work.”
Trump’s remarks echoed warnings he delivered a day earlier at Mount Rushmore, suggesting he intends to make the issue a recurring theme throughout the midterm campaign.
“We like to stop a threat like that immediately,” he said, describing communism as “like a cancer. You got to cut it out, you got to cut it out fast.”
The speech, which was followed by a record-setting fireworks display that continued the festivities into July 5, capped a week marked by record-setting heat, a sparsely attended state fair, and hours of flyovers that shook Washington.
Trump mainly stuck to his script but he peppered his remarks with a few asides and personal pleas, including imploring Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require would-be voters to present photo ID when casting ballots and proof of citizenship when registering.
The president even joked about his pet peeve — the weaponization of government — but quickly got back on topic.
“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.
The president started his speech one hour and 45 minutes late after severe weather forced organizers to evacuate the Mall shortly after 7 p.m. Many sought shelter in nearby federal buildings and rushed to make it back through security in time to hear the president, who joked that he would have given his speech at 4 a.m. if needed.
“One of my very brilliant people backstage said, ‘Don’t worry about it, sir, we can do it maybe next week,’” Trump joked. “I said, ‘It doesn’t work next week.’ This is the big day. We want July 4. We’re not looking for July something else.”
Some spectators refused to leave, booing as the organizers announced the evacuation. Those who did leave faced a mad rush to get back into the secure area, with people pushing to get through the magnetometers while chanting “U-S-A, open the gates.”
The president thanked those who came back for his remarks, noting “lighting will never stop you.”
Trump concluded with an optimistic vision of the future, proclaiming that “at 250 years, we may be the oldest constitutional republic on earth, but our country is just getting started, because the best is yet to come.”
“This is only the dawn of the Golden Age of America, and on this 250th Fourth of July, we declare, just as they did two and a half centuries ago, that for our country, for our children, for the cause of liberty, we are going to take our country to new levels, to levels not reached.
“We’re going to make it bigger, better, stronger, and we’re going to love it even more. And I just want to thank you … and I want to thank everybody, and we love you all, and it’s an honor to be your president.”
He concluded his remarks shortly before the calendar turned to July 5, staying at the site with first lady Melania Trump to watch the fireworks. Several members of his cabinet were also there, as were first son Don Jr. and his new wife Bettina, along with some of the Trump grandchildren.
Those who stuck it out were treated to more than 800,000 fireworks launched from the Potomac River and other sites aroud Washington, dramatically backdropped by flickers of lightning as military members played selections from six decades of pop music — including the president’s favorite, “YMCA.”
