President Trump called America a “nation of winners” while slamming communism as an existential threat during a Fourth of July speech on the National Mall, capping a celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary that was disrupted by severe weather and extreme heat.
Trump delivered the address after thunderstorms forced the evacuation of thousands of attendees earlier in the evening. The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Washington area, and crowds were ordered to seek shelter in nearby buildings before the gates reopened at 9:45 p.m. ET. “Storms bring luck to whatever the occasion,” Trump wrote on Truth Social before the event. “We will wait it out, I don’t care if it’s 2:00 o’clock in the morning, or in one hour from now.”
Speaking from the National Mall, Trump declared: “America is a nation of winners, and today America is winning again and back like never before. America is back.” He praised the country’s military strength and honored veterans throughout his remarks, which lasted under 40 minutes.
The speech continued a theme Trump had introduced the previous night at Mount Rushmore, where he warned that communism poses America’s greatest threat. “Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty,” he said from Mount Rushmore. “It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11.” Trump had earlier stated that communism represents a threat greater than any the nation has faced since its founding.
At the National Mall, Trump elaborated on his critique of communism, using stark language. “Communism is a loser, and it always will be. The communist system is the opposite of the American system, and the communist system has never worked,” he said. “We like to stop a threat like that immediately, and before it begins, it’s like a cancer, you got to cut it out, you got to cut it out fast.” He also stated plainly: “We don’t want communists in our country — never worked, and it never will work.”
Trump contrasted communism with the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. “Unlike so many others in the world, in this country we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal justice under the law,” he said. He added that America’s Declaration of Independence reminds citizens “we are all made in the image of one almighty God, and a communist will never say that, that’s for sure.”
Beyond his communism warnings, Trump used the speech to promote his legislative agenda. He pushed for passage of the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship at the polls and eliminate mail-in ballots except for military deployment, illness, disability, or travel. “All voters must provide a little thing called proof of citizenship, and there will be no mail-in ballots, except for illness, disability, military deployment or travel, and you won’t have cheating on the elections anymore,” he told the crowd. Republicans in the Senate lack the votes to pass the legislation without Democratic support.
The evening’s festivities were marked by the record-breaking fireworks display that followed Trump’s address. Organizers launched more than 850,000 fireworks in a 40-minute show, aiming to set a world record previously held by a display in the Philippines. The celebration unfolded under extraordinary security, with the event designated a National Special Security Event—a classification typically reserved for presidential inaugurations and the Super Bowl. More than 4,800 National Guard members from 23 states were deployed across Washington.
The July Fourth celebration also drew Democratic counterprogramming. Maryland Governor Wes Moore delivered a separate Independence Day address in Annapolis, criticizing military conflicts without clear purpose. “Starting war without a purpose is not patriotic. Ending a war without achievement is not victory,” Moore said. In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, delivered remarks that cast America as a nation of contradictions, telling the crowd that the nation must reject the view “that America becomes less the more people it welcomes.”
Sources
- NBC News — Trump’s full speech at the National Mall, his communism rhetoric, the SAVE America Act promotion, and weather delays
- PBS NewsHour — Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech calling communism a “mortal threat” greater than WWII, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11; comparison to past presidential Independence Day speeches
- The Indian Express — Trump’s statement that communism poses a greater threat than World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11
- NPR — Weather delays and evacuation of the National Mall
- USA Today — Trump’s “nation of winners” framing and speech content
- The Guardian — Trump’s “golden age of America” language and speech themes
- AP News — Trump’s blending of patriotism with partisanship during the 250th anniversary speech
