The American president insists on giving a speech on Independence Day. Previously, there were chaotic scenes in Washington due to heat and thunderstorms.
Jul 5, 2026, 10:07 amJul 5, 2026, 10:07 am
In Washington, spectators watch President Donald Trump’s speech on Independence Day.Image: Graeme Sloan / EPA
When the fireworks for American Independence Day finally began in Washington, July 4th was actually already over. For once, the traditional end of the big “Independence Day” celebration in the capital started with a long delay.
And it wasn’t Donald Trump’s fault, even though the American president had announced a “very long” speech with which he wanted to mark the 250th birthday of the USA. Rather, the weather thwarted Trump’s plans.
At first it was almost 38 degrees Celsius, the hottest it had been on a Fourth of July in Washington for a long time. The organizers of the celebrations therefore decided not to open the entrance to the festival grounds – the park surrounding the George Washington monument in the city center – until later in the afternoon. Then storm clouds moved over the capital in the early evening. And the tens of thousands of people to whom the organizers had previously presented an air show were ultimately asked over loudspeakers to leave the area.
There were tumultuous scenes. Many Trump fans initially didn’t want to believe the security forces that they had to leave the area. They railed against the supposedly left-wing meteorologists and skirmished with the Secret Service and National Guardsmen.
They finally cleared the area and called on visitors to seek shelter in museums or government buildings. But many people refused. Instead, they blocked thoroughfares and sang patriotic songs there. There were chaotic scenes, also because many security forces simply had no idea whether the event was still taking place.
People on the National Mall are not happy that the Secret Service is telling them to evacuate due to weather leading up to President Donald Trump speaking pic.twitter.com/6Lod8hoAEu
— Christopher Salas (@ChristopherS_DC) July 4, 2026
Trump insisted on his speech
A word of power from Trump finally made things clear. At around 9 p.m., the president announced that he would definitely give a speech and watch the fireworks. He won’t let a little rain slow him down, he announced on his online service Truth Social.
And although all onlookers had to go through the security gates again, thousands of people actually returned to the festival site late in the evening. Trump spoke of 150,000 spectators in his speech. That was probably an exaggeration, just as it wasn’t entirely true that there were originally 375,000 people on the festival grounds. But it’s certainly true that even though a presidential speech isn’t normally part of Independence Day festivities in Washington, thousands of people didn’t want to miss the spectacle.
Trump, in turn, stuck to the new schedule and refrained from digressing in this speech. He couldn’t resist a few swipes at his political opponent. The president once again railed against left-wing extremists who allegedly wanted to take over the USA. He will defend himself against this. “We don’t want communists in our country,” said Trump – a reference to the electoral success of left-wing Democrats in recent weeks. He also again called for voting laws to be tightened and claimed that he had won the 2020 presidential election.
Fireworks for the Guinness Book
In his speech, the President not only spoke about himself, but also about the achievements of extraordinary fellow human beings. Trump introduced World War II veterans and the astronauts of the Artemis II mission to the audience. And he emphasized several times that the USA was the greatest country in the world. The audience applauded enthusiastically at these appeals to patriotism. Most of those present were supporters of the president. Many traveled to the capital especially for the celebrations and didn’t let the heat and thunderstorms spoil the party.
A record-breaking 850,000 firecrackers were set off over the monuments in Washington.Image: keystone
Because the president’s speech only lasted around 40 minutes, the fireworks began only an hour late. A record-breaking 850,000 firecrackers were set off over the Washington monuments, reportedly the largest fireworks display in US history. Towards the end of the show, the smoke produced by the fireworks was so thick that it was difficult to see all the bouquets. And as soon as the performance was over, another thunderstorm drenched the onlookers.
No matter: The thousands of people who held out until July 5th were thrilled about this Trumpian Independence Day. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” said a passer-by, somewhat breathlessly. (schweiztoday.ch)