Trump hails America's 'golden age' at storm-delayed 250th Independence Day celebration

A storm-delayed celebration

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was marked by severe thunderstorms that swept across the eastern United States on July 4. In Washington, the National Mall was evacuated in the afternoon, forcing a delay of more than an hour. President Donald Trump finally took the stage after 11 p.m. local time, addressing a crowd that had waited out the weather.

Trump's patriotic address

In a roughly 40-minute speech, Trump struck a resolutely patriotic tone, hailing the United States as "the most extraordinary, most exceptional, most incredible nation to have ever existed on Earth." He declared that "the American dream is back" and that the country was entering "the dawn of America's golden age." Unlike some of his previous rallies, the president largely stuck to his prepared text, according to CNN, and did not turn the event into a campaign-style meeting as he had earlier promised.

This is only the dawn of America's golden age.

Anti-communist rhetoric

Trump used the occasion to launch a sharp attack on what he called a "resurgence of the communist threat" on American soil. Speaking the previous evening at Mount Rushmore, he had already promised to "send them into exile." On July 4, he told the crowd that "our soldiers did not fight communism on battlefields around the world for this horrible threat to resurface right here in America." The remarks were among the few partisan notes in an otherwise ceremonial address.

We will send them into exile.

A chaotic but 'memorable' evening

Despite the weather disruptions, Trump described the night as "memorable" and saw a sign in the storm. The celebrations concluded with a giant fireworks display over the capital. The 250th anniversary events, spanning two days, combined historical commemoration with the president's vision of American greatness.