Trump claims the "exceptionalism" of the United States on the country's 250th anniversary

WashingtonDonald Trump celebrated the 250th anniversary of the United States under a light drizzle from the Washington monument with a markedly patriotic speech. Amidst the quagmire of the war in Iran, the rising cost of living, and the isolation of traditional allies, the American president wanted to emphasize the "exceptional" character of the country. "No people have done more good, shown more courage, made more progress, corrected more injustices, or achieved more greatness than you, the American people," he argued, assuring that the country is "a nation of winners."

A large part of the speech, which lasted about 35 minutes – less than the subsequent fireworks – revolved around the "heroic" narrative of the United States as the country that laid the foundations of the "modern world." Historical flags paraded across the stage, one of them used during D-Day at the Normandy landings, and veterans of crucial wars for the country who were over a hundred years old: Pearl Harbor, World War II, and the Cold War. Some could barely get up from their wheelchairs to salute the flag. "These are the fighters and the flags of the greatest generation; they are the greatest generation. I am sorry to admit it, but they are. They saved the world."

Trump clung to the past to claim that "America is back", but barely referred to the present. The episodes of Iran and Venezuela were residual to the usual tone of the American president, who only mentioned them as part of a historical recap of military achievements. "Look at Venezuela, look at Iran: we have wiped them out, we have destroyed their army. Americans crossed the Great Plains, climbed the Rocky Mountains, tamed the wilderness, and conquered the frontier, and built the empire, the so-called empire of freedom. We laid the railroads, we built the skyscrapers – these beautiful skyscrapers – and we dug the Panama Canal, considered the eighth wonder of the world," he stated. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Islamic Republic was showing its strength and unity with the massive funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The president has connected past victories with the space race and future projections for the country, and has wanted to emphasize the innovative character that has led the US to be one of the main powers. On stage, after the parade of veterans, the crew members of the Artemis II mission have come up. "They have become super famous – the Republican said – everyone was watching".

A speech marked by rain

Trump had to appear an hour later than planned, after weather service warnings forced the evacuation of the crowd from the National Mall. During a few hours when the agenda had been postponed, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would wait as long as necessary to continue the show. "I don't care if it's two in the morning or in an hour," he added. When the speech started, Trump turned the anecdote into a kind of leitmotifof his and the country's determination. "We had an electric storm, but this [the commemoration] is much bigger," he said.

True to his obsession with crowds, he also noted how many people had stayed despite the bad weather. "They calculated there were 375,000 people before everyone had to leave, and now there are 150,000 left. It's the craziest thing anyone has ever seen," he celebrated.

The president recalled the famous preamble to the declaration of independence and underlined its religious character: "As our declaration of independence tells us, we are all made in the image of one almighty God." While repeating that he has been the guarantor of the first amendment – that of freedom of speech – he quickly returned to attacking the supposed communist threat that plagues the country. "The Stars and Stripes flag already defeated the hammer and sickle into oblivion before, and we will do it again if necessary," Trump said, making a connection between the Cold War and the present day. He also warned that communism has once again shown “its ugly head” in America, adding: "It's like cancer: you have to cut it out, you have to cut it out quickly."

Although mentions of communism were not new there has been a shift in the axis from which the Republican attacks what he considers the political opposition. Trump no longer even speaks of Democrats, but has directly attacked the advance of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the party primaries.

In the afternoon, when the police had begun to evacuate the National Mall, some of the attendees refused to be evacuated despite the danger alert issued by the weather service. Groups of people chanted the US acronym and questioned federal agents giving instructions with a megaphone. There were even accusations that it was all a plan by the Democrats to thwart the president.

Trump had promised that July 4th would be one of the biggest rallies he had ever held. Extreme weather has somewhat dampened the tycoon's epic expectations, but it has not prevented the 250th anniversary of the declaration of independence from being marked by Trumpist slogans and MAGA hats.

Gusts of wind and black clouds have swept away the sticky midday heat. Tensions were also felt in the streets of the capital: hundreds of white supremacists marched with Confederate flags, as did dozens of people who demonstrated against the president. All clamoring to reclaim their country, but with opposing nuances: those of the Patriot Front were already celebrating a "victory" and the progressives were appealing to Epstein's papers for the crowd to listen to them. The former walked calmly, the latter were heckled and contradicted by some of the furious attendees.