‘The spirit of 1776 still lives within us all’: Trump marks America’s 250th birthday on National Mall

President Donald Trump commemorated America’s 250th anniversary of independence July 4 with a 37-minute speech on the National Mall that blended tributes to the nation’s founding, praise for American achievements, and calls for continued national strength.

Trump opened by thanking attendees of the “Salute to America” celebration, which had been delayed earlier in the evening after storms prompted officials to evacuate parts of the National Mall. Trump said the event had initially drawn about 375,000 people before the weather delay and about 150,000 afterward. 

“This is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Nothing like it,” Trump said, speaking before a display of historic American flags. “For two and a half centuries, our American republic has stood as the crowning achievement of human history.”

“This country is the home of freedom. This is the land of liberty. And this is a flag that’s the banner of the most extraordinary, most exceptional, most incredible nation ever to exist on the face of the earth,” he added. “And we’re doing better now than we’ve ever done before.”

The President framed the address around American accomplishments, saying no country has “done more good, shown more courage, made more progress, righted more injustice, or achieved more greatness” than the American people.

The country’s strength began, Trump said, in Philadelphia when the founding fathers “summoned the courage of giants and the wisdom of centuries to boldly proclaim these timeless truths” in the Declaration of Independence.

He said that “in signing their names to the roster of freedom, those 56 patriots put everything at risk, stepped onto the stage of destiny, and seized a victory for the ages.”

“As our Declaration of Independence tells us, we are all made in the image of one Almighty God,” Trump added at one point in the speech.

Trump also invoked the Constitution, saying the document’s genius has guaranteed Americans freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal justice under the law, and the right to keep and bear arms — which he said he has guarded “very powerfully.” 

Throughout the speech, the President honored several Americans, whom he called “great heroes,” including military veterans, Medal of Honor recipients, and Gold Star families.

“As we celebrate America’s unmatched achievements and unlimited potential,” he said, “we never forget that none of this would have been possible without those who gave everything so that we could reach this 250th year of freedom.”

The address mixed patriotic commemoration with political themes. Trump repeatedly criticized communism, contrasting it with the American system of liberty and saying the U.S. will “never be a communist country.” 

“We don’t want communists in our country. Never worked, and it never will work,” he said, adding that Americans “will never let anyone take our freedom away.”

He also defended the Second Amendment, praised his administration’s recent military actions in Venezuela and Iran, and called for passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act — which he said would require voter identification, proof of citizenship, and limits on mail-in voting. 

He used the speech to tout the economy, saying the stock market is “the strongest it’s ever been,” that $19.2 trillion is being invested in the U.S., and that more people were working “than at any time in the history of our country.” 

“There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome,” Trump said. “There is no place we cannot go. There is no goal we cannot reach. And there is nothing that Americans cannot do. And we’re proving that right now.”

The President closed by tying the country’s future to the founding generation, saying the American flag "still waves, proud and free and beautiful."

“We have thrived and flourished because our founders were great. Our cause was just. Our people are brave. Our culture is exceptional. And our destiny is written by God," he added. "And as we can see here tonight, after 250 years, the spirit of 1776 still lives within us all. It still roars in the hearts of our nation’s capital. It still burns in the heart of every patriot, thunders through every city and town, and it still lights the entire world with the glow of American liberty."

“On this 250th Fourth of July, we declare, just as they did two and a half centuries ago, that for our country and for our children and for the cause of liberty, we are going to take our country to new levels, to levels not reached,” Trump said in conclusion. “We’re going to make it bigger, better, stronger, and we’re going to love it even more.”

The event ended with a massive fireworks display over Washington, D.C., which organizers had billed as an attempt at the largest fireworks display in history, with more than 850,000 fireworks.  

Vance calls Americans to patriotic optimism in July 4 speech in New York

Meanwhile, in New York Harbor, Vice President JD Vance delivered an America 250 speech aboard the USS Kearsarge, encouraging Americans to celebrate the nation’s achievements on Independence Day rather than focus only on its shortcomings. 

“Today we celebrate 250 years of America facing the future without fear,” he said. “We celebrate 250 years of proving what a free people can achieve by the providence of our Almighty Creator.”

“You'll hear a couple small but loud voices today speak obsessively not of our national greatness, but of our national imperfections,” Vance said, adding that they will “speak of the powerless and the dispossessed” and argue that “America is just another country, where the weak struggle against the strong.” 

“They'll talk about America's sins with the anger and zeal of a brimstone preacher, but without any of the grace or forgiveness that must be present in the Christian faith,” he said. “These people misunderstand the essence of America.” 

Vance urged Americans to reject this “two-dimensional view” of the country and its citizens, saying that “we all have moments of great power despite those very real imperfections.” He instead called for pride in a history of carving “a great civilization out of the wilderness” and in the nation’s “grace and greatness.” 

“Today, my friends, we celebrate,” Vance concluded. “And tomorrow, we get back to work.”