Trump gives Fourth of July speech, followed by massive fireworks display in Washington, D.C. – One America News Network

OAN Staff Addie Davis
11:06 AM – Sunday, July 5, 2026

Fourth of July celebrations culminated in America’s capital with a speech by President Donald Trump emphasizing the history and achievements of the United States, followed by a record-breaking 40-minute fireworks show.

Despite delays caused by weather and many events canceled or postponed by the multi-day heatwave ravaging much of the Eastern U.S., Independence Day revelry continued on in Washington, D.C., at the Freedom 250 “Salute To America” event. Trump claimed that an estimated 150,000 people were in attendance for his late-night speech, though he said the number was closer to 375,000 before the site was evacuated earlier due to a thunderstorm.

Beginning his roughly 40-minute address at 11:15 p.m. ET, delayed from the planned 9:45 p.m. kick-off time, Trump highlighted American excellence. During the speech, the president related stories of the nation’s history, purporting that “the best is yet to come.”

“No people have done more good, shown more courage, made more progress, righted more injustice or achieved more greatness than you, the American people,” Trump said to the crowd.

 

Several flags were displayed on stage from the Revolutionary War, World War II and other historic events, including one made by a Belgian woman and her daughter while they were hiding during Nazi occupation in the second world war. Upon being liberated, they gifted the flag to an American soldier, who was later discovered to have been the great-grandson of Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Key’s descendant, U.S. Army Major Kyle Key was brought on stage to salute the flag and pay homage to its legacy.

Another of the featured flags was one that flew during the Cold War at Checkpoint Charlie, a prominent crossing point at the Berlin Wall. In his address, Trump declared that the U.S. would never fall to communism.

“As I said last night at the beautiful Mount Rushmore…where Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt loomed over my shoulder as I spoke, America will never be a communist country,” he vowed. “Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world only to have that menace rear its ugly head right back here in America.”

“The Stars and Stripes cast the hammer and sickle into oblivion before and we will do it again if necessary. I don’t think it’s going to be necessary,” he continued.

In recognition of the sacrifice and service of those who have fought for American freedom, many veterans were brought on stage from several different wars, including World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Veterans from World War II — who were over 100 years old —that served at Pearl Harbor, D-Day and Iwo Jima were also called on stage. Marine Corporal Don Graves, who fought at the Battle of Iwo Jima, saluted the iconic flag that flew over the Pacific island, which was displayed on the event stage.