United States, 250th anniversary of Independence amid record heat, aggressive Trump speech and far-right parade

The anticipated presidential rally, which Trump had previewed as «the most spectacular of all Trump rallies ever», was delayed by about an hour due to bad weather. Visitors already present in the event area were evacuated due to the imminent danger of lightning and subsequently quickly recalled to the site, where they were then able to listen to the president's speech and watch the pyrotechnic show described by the organizers as the largest in history.

The speech on the National Mall

In front of the Washington Monument, on the stage set up on the National Mall, the head of the White House delivered a roughly forty-minute speech with markedly electoral tones, just over four months before the November midterm elections. Trump defended the legacy of the Founding Fathers, praised American achievements from the Moon landing to the «liquidation» of the Iranian army and launched a new slogan of political division.

Trump stated that the «rights» of Americans were granted by God, «who created us», and emphasized that «no other country has done more good for the world than the United States of America». The president also pointed out that English is spoken in the United States, as the language of the Founding Fathers.

«Wir werden immer die Besten sein» – «Saremo sempre i migliori»: this was one of the phrases most repeated by the president during his speech. Trump defined Communism as «a loser, and always will be» and warned that «the Stars and Stripes have already made the hammer and sickle disappear once and will do so again, if necessary». On a similar line he had spoken shortly before at Mount Rushmore, where he had talked about a «return of the communist threat» to the country.

Attacks on Democrats and immigrants

In Trump's crosshairs ended up in particular Democrats and immigrants. The president warned that «America will never be a communist country» and compared the ideological threat to «a cancer – it must be cut out, and quickly». To thousands of supporters, many of whom chanted «USA, USA» as during campaign rallies, Trump also declared in relation to immigration: «You don't have to be born here, but you must love what we have built».

The head of the White House also invoked national unity and described American history as a «continuous success» that began with the Declaration of Independence of 1776. Several guests of honor took the stage, including war veterans, astronauts and families of fallen soldiers. In particular, Arthur Rose, a 107-year-old U.S. Navy veteran who had participated in the Allied landing in Normandy on D-Day, was celebrated together with the so-called Gold Star Families.

The opposition's criticism, however, was not lacking. Democrats accuse Trump of exploiting the celebrations of the 250th anniversary for partisan propaganda purposes ahead of the midterm elections and of further fueling the division of the country. Vice President JD Vance, speaking from the port of New York aboard the warship USS Kearsarge, rejected internal American criticism, stating that those who denounce the country's flaws end up «talking about America's sins with the anger and zeal of a preacher» and «missing the very essence of America».

The day was also marked by an episode that highlighted the deep fracture of American society: near the Capitol, dozens of masked men affiliated with the far-right group «Patriot Front» marched wearing caps bearing the organization's symbol, which promotes white supremacy, and shouting «Reclaim America!» – «Riprendiamoci l'America». In the past, U.S. presidents had generally kept their distance from the political exploitation of July 4 celebrations.

Far right in the streets and Democratic criticism

On the climate front, the celebrations took place under a record heat wave that put both participants and organizers to the test. In the capital, temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius were recorded, with perceived peaks of up to 43 degrees due to high humidity. Several events planned in other cities on the East Coast, where values exceeded 40 degrees, were moved or canceled.

The heat wave and the evacuations

In Washington the so-called «Great American State Fair», planned on the National Mall, was temporarily closed after several visitors had fallen ill. On the stage at the Washington Monument, meanwhile, the musicians of the Navy, Air Force and Army military bands patiently endured the heat in their uniforms before the awaited arrival of the president, further delayed by the bad weather.

The grand pyrotechnic show

The highlight of the evening was the pyrotechnic show, which began shortly before midnight and lasted about 35-40 minutes: according to the organizers, approximately 850,000 fireworks were launched from ten firing points, enough – again according to the organizers – to beat the previous world record set about ten years ago by a Philippine mega-church. The show lasted about twice as long as traditional July 4 celebrations.

Trump also announced the creation, by presidential order, of a new organization called «Freedom 250», which joins the pre-existing «America 250», born on a bipartisan initiative of Congress about ten years ago to coordinate the jubilee celebratory projects throughout the country. Among the initiatives already underway, a time capsule with objects from the 50 federal states has also been buried in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and is destined to be opened in 2276 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

During the celebrations, Trump also promised that «the best is yet to come» and invoked national unity. «America must remain faithful to the dream that earned it the title of 'land of the free and home of the brave'», the president declared, in a passage with a patriotic flavor. On the international front, the Chinese president was not directly cited, but numerous world leaders sent congratulatory messages on the occasion of the jubilee. Pope Leo XIV recalled the «lofty ideals» of the Declaration of Independence, hoping that they will continue to guide «the prosperity of the nation in unity, justice and peace», while British King Charles III wrote that it is «a historic milestone» and «an occasion to celebrate for all Americans». German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also sent a message to the American president, noting that the concepts of freedom, law and self-determination of July 1776 «have made the history of the world».

Historical context and international reactions

On the historical front, on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia the representatives of the thirteen North American colonies signed the Declaration of Independence by which they separated from Great Britain. This was followed by an eight-year armed conflict, at the end of which Great Britain formally recognized the sovereignty of the United States of America with the Treaty of Paris of September 1783.

From a political point of view, Trump's speech marks a return to the tradition begun by Donald Trump himself in 2019, when he spoke from the Mall on the occasion of Independence Day; since 1951 no American president had given a speech on that occasion. The president alternated patriotic and self-celebratory passages with attacks on the internal opposition, describing his political agenda as the beginning of a «golden age» for the United States and concluding with the famous phrase «It is an honor to be your president».

In his speech, Trump quoted the famous phrase «Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness», taken from the Declaration of Independence of 1776, emphasizing that Americans must remain faithful to the dream that made the United States «the land of the free and the home of the brave». At the same time, the president repeatedly warned that the «small but loud voices» that speak of national imperfections do not hit the mark, echoing the opposition's criticism.

Ultimately, the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of Independence ended amid pyrotechnic pomp, the record of heat – both meteorological and political – and bipartisan criticism for the exploitation of a national anniversary for partisan purposes, in a country that, as American commentators summed up, declares itself «back» but still appears deeply divided.