At the end of a 250th anniversary disrupted by the weather in Washington, Donald Trump on Saturday braided the laurels of the United States, “a masterpiece of the history of humanity” according to him, and renewed his attacks against his political opponents described as “communists”.
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During the night, cooled by the storm which had forced the temporary evacuation of the immense green esplanade of the National Mall in the early evening, Donald Trump delivered a new patriotic speech and paid tribute to many veterans, highly respected figures in the United States. But he did not attend the large electoral campaign-style meetings that he had promised.
“This flag is the standard of the most extraordinary, the most exceptional, the most incredible nation to have ever existed on Earth,” he praised, describing the United States as “the land of the free.”
The Republican president, however, took advantage of this platform to repeat his current rhetoric against the “communist threat” that he believes the Democratic opposition represents, after a series of victories in primaries for candidates from the left wing of this party and in the run-up to the crucial mid-term elections in early November.
July 4, 2026, Washington, District of Columbia, USA: U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump prepare to speak during the “Salute to America 250” celebration on the National Mall in Washington, DC, United States, July 4, 2026. The fireworks display that followed the president’s speech is said to be the largest in history, with 850,000 shells fired in 40 minutes.
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“Our soldiers did not fight on battlefields around the world for this terrible threat to resurface here in America,” he said. “We won’t let that happen. »
Already the day before, from the emblematic Mount Rushmore, he had affirmed that American identity was undergoing a “new offensive” coming from “radicals and extremists” and spoke of a “resurgence of the communist threat on our soil”.
“Whatever happens”
Finished just before midnight, Donald Trump’s speech was delayed an hour and a half after the Mall had to be evacuated due to a storm.
Previously, the American president – who did everything to transform this anniversary of the United States into a celebration of himself – had affirmed on his Truth Social platform that he would make his speech “whatever happens”.
“I’m not going to let a little rain spoil our 250th anniversary,” he wrote, having promised the largest fireworks display in the world: 850,000 rockets for 40 minutes.
Despite the late hour and the confusion, thousands of people returned to gather in front of the stage installed between the obelisk of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
July 4, 2026, Washington, District of Columbia, USA: Fireworks erupt during the ‘Salute to America 250’ celebration on the National Mall in Washington, DC, USA on July 04, 2026. The fireworks display is said to be the largest in history, with 850,000 shells fired in 40 minutes.
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Hours before, when the evacuation was ordered, it was met with boos from onlookers, with hundreds refusing to leave. Police officers equipped with whistles worked to force the recalcitrants to leave the premises.
This particular “Independence Day”, 250 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia (East) marking the break of thirteen colonies from the British Crown, coincided with a suffocating heat wave in the eastern United States.
In New York, the spectacular fireworks display was brought forward due to stormy conditions.
Despite the heat, in Philadelphia, queues formed very early in front of the famous “Liberty Bell” and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
“Suffering a little from the heat is nothing compared to what many people have sacrificed to give us this freedom in this great country,” greeted Randy Cole, a retired civil servant interviewed in Washington, where many passers-by wore the colors or stars of the American flag.
“Footprint”
Patrick Thompson, a teacher from Alexandria, near Washington, preferred to celebrate the national holiday with his family with a traditional barbecue and stay away from official ceremonies.
“It’s great to experience this 250th anniversary,” but “why does it have to bear Trump’s imprint?” », he asks AFP.
“The America that I celebrate is not that of hatred and polarization,” confides Rajesh Mirchandani, an Indian of origin who became an American in February. It’s one in which warm, modest and funny people still work together to build something better.”
A sign of the country’s divisions, masked men marched in the morning in Washington, some brandishing Confederate flags and others displaying the emblem of the supremacist movement Patriot Front, chanting “Let’s take back America!” “.
In a message of “congratulations to all Americans”, Leo
According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 61% of Americans believe their country is not living up to the ideals set out in the 1776 Declaration of Independence.
