US turns 250 amid division, heatwave; Trump warns of 'attack' on identity

America celebrated its 250th anniversary on Saturday, a milestone marked by profound national division and a president keen to dominate the celebratory stage. The independence anniversary coincided with a severe heatwave, placing approximately 160 million Americans under heat warnings and disrupting planned festivities across the country.

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It’s going to be approximately 107 degrees (41C) out, and I’m going to go and I’m going to make a really long speech, just to show that I can do anything.

Despite the searing temperatures, President Donald Trump orchestrated a significant portion of the event as a personal celebration. On Saturday evening, he addressed a large campaign-style rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., accompanied by military flyovers and what was promoted as the world's largest fireworks display. Trump remarked, "It’s going to be approximately 107 degrees (41C) out, and I’m going to go and I’m going to make a really long speech, just to show that I can do anything."

Earlier, at Mount Rushmore, Trump spoke under the gaze of four presidential figures, lauding American exceptionalism. However, he also declared that the American identity was "under a renewed attack," targeting domestic "radicals and extremists" and warning of a "resurgence of the communist menace in our land." This theme has been a recurring point in his recent rhetoric, particularly as the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has seen success in U.S. primaries.

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the American identity was “under a renewed attack.”

Trump has characterized the rise of the left ahead of the November midterm elections as "communists" posing a major "threat" to the country. He stated on Friday that there has been an attempt to "beat the American spirit out of us, alienate us from our history." While his language on this occasion was less overtly anti-immigrant than in past speeches, the underlying message remained consistent: "You do not have to be born here, but you do have to love what we have built."

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Taking aim at domestic “radicals and extremists,” he charged that there was “a resurgence of the communist menace in our land.”

The 250th festivities offered Americans a moment for both celebration and reflection. After two and a half centuries of complex history, surveys indicate a nation divided about its present and future direction. The celebrations also occurred against the backdrop of a brutal heatwave impacting a significant portion of the population.

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There has been an attempt to “beat the American spirit out of us, alienate us from our history.”