President Donald Trump marked America’s 250th anniversary with a campaign-style speech on the National Mall, mixing patriotic tribute with calls for tougher voting rules and warnings about what he called the threat of communism.
Speaking in Washington after a storm-related delay of nearly two hours, Trump praised major American achievements, including wartime victories, the moon landing, the Wright brothers’ first flight and the country’s system of government.
But the Fourth of July address quickly shifted into familiar political territory. Trump urged Congress to pass stalled legislation that would restrict mail-in voting and require proof of citizenship to register to vote. He also warned that communism could gain ground in the United States.
“We like to stop a threat like that immediately and before it begins. It’s like a cancer, you’ve got to cut it out and you got to cut it out fast,” Trump said.
The remarks came after Trump used a separate 250th anniversary speech at Mount Rushmore to attack what he called a “communist menace” in the country. On Saturday, he did not directly name left-wing Democratic candidates, but he has repeatedly used similar language in recent weeks after a string of progressive primary victories.
Earlier in the day, members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front marched through Washington and used the city’s Metro system. Police said they had received no reports of violence.
The event was part of the Trump administration’s Freedom 250 programme, which has largely sidelined a nonpartisan commission created in 2016 to plan the anniversary. Much of the National Mall has been fenced off for a “Great American State Fair” featuring attractions, conservative groups and defense contractors.
Several Democratic-led states declined to send delegations, while some performers withdrew, citing concerns that the celebrations had become too partisan. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that most Americans, including three-quarters of Democrats and half of Republicans, believe the 250th anniversary events have become too political.
Trump has also pushed to remake parts of Washington ahead of the anniversary. Some fountains and monuments have been renovated, but a $15 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has faced problems, including peeling paint and algae-filled water.
