US President Donald Trump capped off the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4th with a speech on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in which he praised the United States as the “ultimate culmination” of human history, while also calling for a fight against communism.
Despite setbacks caused by rain and the intense heat wave gripping the Midwest, Trump ended up speaking for 45 minutes to the crowd gathered in the nation’s capital; a short speech by his standards in which he repeated his condemnation of communism, which he had already delivered the previous day at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
“At 250 years old, we may be the oldest constitutional republic in the world, but our country is just getting started, because the best is yet to come,” Trump declared. “And the Star-Spangled Banner eventually cast the hammer and sickle into oblivion. They did it in the past, and we’ll do it again if necessary,” he noted.
Trump reiterated his warnings about the threat of communism. “We don’t want communists in our country. It’s never worked,” he said, referring to the recent victories of socialist Democratic candidates in the primaries leading up to the midterm elections this November.
Throughout his appearance, Trump also took the opportunity to recognize combat veterans and brought retired military personnel onto the stage, such as Arthur Rose, a 107-year-old Navy veteran and survivor of the Normandy landings, and Captain Ken Schubring, one of the last survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Trump wove together tales of heroism and historical events to reflect the values of patriotism and freedom that shape the American spirit, while inviting veterans onto the stage to salute several historic flags.
“Together we also reaffirm the truth that the strength and power of the United States are not a source of shame. It is something we are very, very proud of,” he added.
Among the flags celebrated at the event was the flag that flew on the flagship when the U.S. Navy sank the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, “one of the greatest naval victories in history,” which he equated with the “recent victory in sinking the entire Iranian Navy” in the recent conflict with Tehran.
The president also alluded to the challenges the United States faces in preserving the pillars of democracy. In that regard, he referred to the need to pass voter registration reform to prevent voter fraud and the voting of people without legal status, a measure opposed by Democrats.
“The United States is back, and we want to keep America great. We will do this by passing the ‘SAVE America’ Act, which means that every single voter—every single one—will have to show ID and something called proof of citizenship, and there will be no mail-in voting, except in a few cases,” he insisted.
“Today, our country is winning again, and we are winning like never before. America is back, and we want to keep America great, and we will do this by passing the SAVE America Act, which means that every voter must show a voter ID, a little thing called proof of citizenship,” Trump declared regarding the legislation that faces a tough battle in Congress.
Before the grand fireworks display that capped off the event, Trump made it clear that there is a new “dawn of America’s golden age” and that these 250 years of existence are just the beginning. “For our country, for our children, and for the cause of freedom, we are going to take our country to new heights, to heights never before reached. We are going to make it greater, better, stronger, and we are going to love it even more,” he declared.
The grand finale included the launch of 850,000 fireworks projectiles from ten sites encompassing the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial, barges on the Potomac River, and West Potomac Park, which illuminated the sky over the nation’s capital for 40 minutes.
He also said he would present a flag that flew over the Capitol, which “will soon be planted by American astronauts on their next return to the Moon,” he affirmed.
