Trump claims the "exceptionalism" of the United States on its 250th anniversary

WashingtonDonald Trump appeared from the Washington Monument and under a light drizzle to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary in a markedly patriotic speech. Amidst the mud of the Iran war, the rising cost of living and the isolation of traditional allies, the US president has wanted to underline 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 defended, assuring that "we are a nation of winners".

Much 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 in the Normandy landings, and veterans of wars crucial to 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 has clung to the past to claim that "America is back," but has made very little mention of the present. The episodes of Iran and Venezuela have been residual for what is usually the norm for the American president, who has barely introduced them as part of a historical recap of military successes. "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... we tamed the wild nature and conquered the frontier, and we built the empire, the so-called Empire of Freedom. We laid the railroad tracks, 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 fit was a show of 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. The Republican has wanted to emphasize the innovative character that has led the US to be one of the main powers. On stage, after the veterans' parade, the members of the Artemis II mission crew came up. "They became super famous," said the Republican, "everyone was watching."

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 had angrily written on Truth Social that he would wait as long as necessary to continue with the show. "I don't care if it's at two in the morning or in an hour," he insisted. When the speech began, Trump turned the anecdote into a kind of leitmotif about his determination and that of the country. "We had an electrical 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 a single Almighty God." While repeating that he has been the guarantor of the first amendment - that of freedom of expression - he quickly attacked again the supposed communist threat that plagues the country. "The Stars and Stripes flag already cast the hammer and sickle into oblivion before, and we will do it again if necessary," said Trump, making a connection between the Cold War and the present day. He warned that communism has once again shown "its ugly head right here in America," and added: "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 launched against the advance of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the party primaries.

In the afternoon, as police began to evacuate the National Mall, some attendees refused to be evacuated despite a danger alert issued by the meteorological service. Groups of people chanted the acronym "U.S.A" and questioned federal agents who were giving instructions with a megaphone. Accusations were even heard saying that it was all a Democratic plan to spoil the president's party.

Trump had promised that July 4th would be one of the "biggest rallies" he had ever held. The extreme weather somewhat dampened the tycoon's epic expectations, but it did not prevent the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence from being marked by Trumpist slogans and MAGA hats.

The sticky midday heat was swept away by gusts of wind and black clouds. Tension was 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 from the Patriot Front were already celebrating a "victory," and progressives were appealing to Epstein's papers for the crowd to listen to them. The former walked calmly, the latter were shouted at and contradicted by some of the furious attendees.