![\"Macy's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-05T011409Z_1113938663_RC2D7MAZD2IH_RTRMADP_3_USA-250-NEW-YORK-1783220146.jpg\")
Macy\u2019s Fourth of July fireworks explode as the US celebrates its 250th anniversary on Independence Day, in New York City, US, July 4, 2026 [Carlos Barria\/Reuters]<\/p>\nSevere weather has disrupted celebrations of the United States\u2019 250th anniversary of independence, including in Washington, DC, where a thunderstorm delayed a speech from President Donald Trump by almost two hours.<\/p>\n
Trump, addressing a crowd of thousands after Saturday\u2019s delay, described the milestone as \u201cone of the most joyous and glorious\u201d in the nation\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
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He paid tribute to veterans, including several who served in the second world war and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam.<\/p>\n
The president also used the occasion to press his case for the SAVE America Act, an elections bill that has run into resistance even among Republicans in Congress, blending partisan appeals with the patriotic tone of the day. \u201cWe will always be on top,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will never let our country fall. We will always be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
In New York City, authorities put on a large fireworks display to mark July 4th celebrations, bringing the 30-minute show forward because of the threat of storms.<\/p>\n
The rain and lightning stayed away, allowing thousands of people to enjoy the spectacle.<\/p>\n
Macy\u2019s Fourth of July fireworks explode as the US celebrates its 250th anniversary on Independence Day, in New York City, US, July 4, 2026 [Carlos Barria\/Reuters]<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, severe weather prompted the cancellation of celebrations in Hartford in the state of Connecticut, along with Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre in the state of Pennsylvania. Spectators in the city of Boston, who had gathered to watch fireworks, were told to briefly seek shelter before events later resumed. The city of Pittsburgh also moved forward with fireworks but shifted the time to accommodate the shifting weather.<\/p>\n
Earlier in Washington, DC, authorities ordered a weather-related evacuation, with spectators sheltering in nearby museums and government buildings for a few hours. But the crowd later retuned to an\u00a0open field near the Washington Monument several hours later.<\/p>\n
Visitors had waited hours to get into the event, contending with stepped-up security and temperatures that reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius). The record-breaking heat wave forced the cancellation of several parades and other events in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just part of the deal I signed up for,\u201d said Glen Solander, 60, \u200ca software engineer visiting from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as he waited at a security checkpoint on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Other visitors included the white nationalist organisation Patriot Front.<\/p>\n
The group posted on social media that it had arrived in the capital, and hundreds of people wearing the group\u2019s outfits travelled to the city on Metro trains serving the District of Columbia region.<\/p>\n
Local police said they had not received any reports of violence.<\/p>\n
Past presidents have generally avoided in-person appearances at July 4 celebrations, but Trump has blurred the line between official commemoration and campaign-style politics.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration\u2019s Freedom 250 group has largely sidelined a nonpartisan body set up in 2016 to handle the 250th anniversary \u2060and has fenced off much of the 2.4-kilometre (1.5-mile) National Mall for a \u201cGreat American State Fair\u201d featuring attractions such \u2060as a Ferris wheel alongside displays by conservative groups and defence contractors.<\/p>\n
Freedom 250 says the fair aims to showcase the people and innovations that make the US \u201cthe greatest nation on Earth\u201d.<\/p>\n
Several Democratic-led states declined to send delegations, and many performers scheduled to appear dropped out, citing concerns about partisanship.<\/p>\n
Trump opened the event with a rally on June 24.<\/p>\n
Other activities with Freedom 250 branding include a \u2060faith rally featuring mostly conservative Christian speakers, and multiple sports events, including a card of mixed martial arts bouts on the White House grounds for Trump\u2019s 80th birthday on June 14.<\/p>\n
An IndyCar race in Washington is scheduled for August.<\/p>\n
The Freedom 250 organisation also sponsored \u201cFreedom Trucks\u201d that critics say paint an overly religious version of American history and gloss over issues such \u200cas slavery and racial injustice.<\/p>\n
Trump has sought to remake wide swaths of the capital city ahead of the 250th celebration, with mixed \u200cresults. \u200cMany fountains and statues have been renovated, but problems have beset a much-touted $15m renovation of the Lincoln Memorial\u2019s Reflecting Pool.<\/p>\n
Security cameras and soldiers now stand watch over its peeling paint and algae-fouled waters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Severe weather has disrupted celebrations of the United States\u2019 250th anniversary of independence, including in Washington, DC, where…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":744048,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,12,3,21,19,22,20,25,1209,24],"class_list":["post-744047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-donald-trump","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-us-canada","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=744047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/744047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/744048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=744047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=744047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=744047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}