As US turns 250, Trump warns American identity under ‘renewed attack’
In his speech at Mount Rushmore, the president lauds American exceptionalism while taking aim at domestic ‘radicals and extremists’
America turns 250 on Saturday – a landmark birthday that coincides with a time of deep national division and a president determined to seize the festive centre stage.
The independence anniversary also comes in the middle of a brutal heatwave that has placed some 160 million Americans under major or extreme heat warnings, playing havoc with planned parades and block parties in towns and cities across much of the country.
But the searing temperatures have done little to deter President Donald Trump, who has gone to great lengths to ensure the event becomes, in large part, a celebration of himself.
On Saturday evening, Trump will hold a huge campaign-style political rally on the National Mall in the capital Washington, along with roaring military flyovers and what he has touted as the world’s biggest fireworks display.
“It’s going to be approximately 107 degrees [41 degrees Celsius] 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,” he earlier said.
Late on Friday, the president visited the Mount Rushmore national monument for an address under the gaze of the giant granite heads of four of his legendary predecessors.