Trump hails National Mall Independence Day celebration as a success despite weather conditions – One America News Network

July 5, 2026 Addie Davis US 0

FOR-WEBSITE-ARTICLES-2026-07-05T150316.368.png

(Background) Fireworks burst into the air from over the Potomac River during "Salute to America 250" Fourth of July celebrations beginning on July 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) / (Insert) U.S. President Donald Trump raises his fist while speaking at "Salute to America 250" Fourth of July celebrations on the National Mall on July 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) — (Background) Fireworks burst into the air from over the Potomac River during “Salute to America 250” Fourth of July celebrations beginning on July 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) / (Insert) U.S. President Donald Trump raises his fist while speaking at “Salute to America 250” Fourth of July celebrations on the National Mall on July 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

OAN Staff Addie Davis
3:45 PM – Sunday, July 5, 2026

President Donald Trump hailed the Freedom 250 “Salute to America” Fourth of July event as a success, besides uncertainty caused by weather conditions.

The United States commander-in-chief took to Truth Social on Sunday to tout the event size, claiming that poor weather enhanced the celebrations, leading to organizers working under pressure.

In the evening, hours before Trump’s July 4^th speech and the planned record-breaking fireworks, the crowd of hundreds of thousands had to evacuate due to storms. However, Trump said he refused to postpone the event.

“The Crowd at 7:05 in the evening was 422,000 people! All were forced to leave because of the weather, the event was cancelled, and everyone was gone because of lightning. When I heard that it was cancelled, I immediately overturned that decision, and waited a while for people to come back,” Trump said.

Attendees watch a fireworks display during the "Salute to America" Independence Day celebration on the National Mall in Washington, DC, in the early morning hours of July 5, 2026. (Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP via Getty Images) — Attendees watch a fireworks display during the “Salute to America” Independence Day celebration on the National Mall in Washington, DC, in the early morning hours of July 5, 2026. (Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

Despite the mass exodus, Trump claimed that more than 150,000 people returned to finish out the celebrations at the National Mall.

“Incredibly, at least 150,000 people returned, and it was an even more spectacular evening than it would have been as normalized! It showed work under pressure,” he continued.

Beyond highlighting the massive turnout, Trump also thanked Secret Service and law enforcement for handling the changing situation.

“Congratulations to the Secret Service and Law Enforcement on being able to get so many people back into the Arena in such rapid fashion! It was an amazing evening made even more spectacular by the fact that, immediately after the Great Fireworks ended, the rains came down, full blast!” he concluded.

President Donald Trump Truth Social post

Storms threatened a number of Independence Day celebrations, with the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show in New York City being moved up due to severe weather threats.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!