July 4: Trump celebrates 250 years of America with fireworks

Washington/Donald Trump took advantage of the central event this Saturday for the 250 years of the Independence of the United States to praise the greatness of the country and reinforce several of the central messages of his political agenda, in a ceremony marked by bad weather, extreme heat and controversy over the politicization of a date that traditionally seeks to bring together all Americans.

“For 250 years, the United States of America has been the hope, the promise, the light and the glory among all the nations of the world,” said the president at the beginning of his speech on the National Mall in Washington. “They try to be like us. Nobody can be like us,” he added to a crowd made up mostly of Republican supporters.

The speech began more than an hour late due to bad weather. Many attendees had waited for hours in a heat wave, had to evacuate the venue and then go through strict security checkpoints to re-enter.

Although the event was intended as the climax of the national celebrations for the anniversary of Independence, Trump gave it the tone of a rally. He reiterated his warnings against communism and took aim, without directly mentioning them, at the democratic socialist candidates who have won primaries ahead of the November midterm elections. “We don’t want communists in our country. It has never worked,” he said.

The president also used the platform to promote his electoral reform, an initiative still stalled in Congress that will tighten the requirements to register and vote in federal elections. Trump defended the so-called SAVE America Act, which would require identification and proof of citizenship for voters, in addition to restricting voting by mail to exceptional cases.

“America is back and we want to maintain its greatness,” he said. “We will achieve this by passing the SAVE America Act, which means that all voters, absolutely all, will have to present identification and provide something called proof of citizenship, and there will be no voting by mail, except in some cases.”

During his speech, Trump alternated between historical references, episodes of military heroism and praise for American patriotism. He invited several veterans to the stage and saluted different historical flags, in an attempt to present his Government as a direct heir to the country’s founding values.

The president also announced that he would deliver a flag that flew over the Capitol and that, he said, will be planted by American astronauts on their next return to the Moon.

“Together we also reaffirm the truth that the strength and power of the United States is no cause for shame. It is something of which we are very, very proud,” he said.

Among the flags on display was the flag that flew on the American flagship when the US Navy defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay in 1898. Trump called that battle “one of the greatest naval victories in history” and compared it to the “recent victory” over the Iranian Navy in the conflict with Tehran.

The president also announced that he would deliver a flag that flew over the Capitol and that, he said, will be planted by American astronauts on their next return to the Moon.

The celebrations, which lasted for weeks in the US capital, have been the subject of criticism from the president’s detractors, who accuse the White House of turning a national commemoration into an act of political exaltation. The Republican Administration created Freedom 250 to organize activities parallel to those planned by America250, a non-partisan entity in charge of coordinating the official celebrations.

Among those activities was the Great American State Fair in Washington, an event affected by lower-than-expected attendance, intense heat and the cancellation of dozens of artists.

“It’s not just another Independence Day. It’s America’s 250th anniversary. And history only happens once”

The event on the National Mall was preceded by a great fireworks display, presented by the Government as the largest in the history of Washington. The display included some 850,000 pyrotechnic projectiles fired from ten nearby points, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pond, eight barges on the Potomac River, and West Potomac Park.

The show, which lasted about 40 minutes, doubled the usual length and began around midnight on Sunday, almost two hours later than scheduled. The White House aspires to make it a world record, although documents from the National Park Service cited by The Washington Post warned that the spectacle could generate unhealthy conditions in some areas of the city due to the deterioration of air quality.

“It’s not just another Independence Day. It’s America’s 250th anniversary. And history only happens once,” said Freedom 250 advisor Danielle Alvarez.

Other cities, including New York and Los Angeles, celebrated the anniversary with concerts, parades, fairs and festivals. However, several outdoor events were postponed or canceled due to the extreme heat wave affecting the country.