Severe weather forced evacuations at the Freedom 250 celebrations on the National Mall, sending crowds into nearby museums and federal buildings. When people tried to get back, security lines restarted for everyone—reporters described “massive blobs of people”
Fireworks finally began to light up Washington, D.C., right as the clock struck midnight—after an evening that had turned the National Mall into a scramble.
President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July speech on the National Mall unfolded after severe thunderstorms disrupted the Freedom 250 celebrations. Trump later claimed about 375,000 people were evacuated because of the weather, and that about 150,000 made it back for his address. His remarks were set to be followed by a massive fireworks show, which he promised would be “really long.”.
Hours earlier, people trying to re-enter the grounds met a different kind of weather: delays, confusion, and restarted screening. The Secret Service said revelers would need to pass through security again after being evacuated early evening. taking shelter in museums and federal buildings. Photographs showed large crowds waiting at the security checkpoints as they tried to get back in.
For some, the lines were more than slow. A reporter for Spectrum News. Taylor Popielarz. posted on X that it was “a mess” as people attempted to reach the press riser. She wrote that security staff were telling everyone—whether they had credentials. VIP passes. or “nothing at all”—to go through the same lines. Vaughn Hillyard. a senior White House reporter for MS Now. wrote on X that “massive blobs of people” were trying to reach the National Mall.
The disruptions came as musical performances filled the time before Trump took the stage. Guests on the National Mall listened to renditions of “Ave Maria,” “God Bless America,” and “God Bless the USA.”
In the staging area, First lady Melania Trump was spotted with the president ahead of his address. Trump held up his phone to Melania before walking away to take the call, then appeared to watch Fox News.
Trump’s speech began around 11:15 p.m. local time. He concluded by declaring. “The spirit of 1776 still lives within us all.” He said. “After 250 years. the spirit of 1776 still lives within us all. It still roars in the hearts of our nation’s capital. It still burns in the heart of every patriot. thunders through every city and town. and it still lights the entire world with the glow of American liberty. and there is nothing like that.” He added: “At 250 years old. we may be the oldest constitutional republic on earth. but our country is just getting started. because the best is yet to come.”.
As he spoke, Trump returned to a familiar target. He once again railed against communism, saying, “America will never be a communist country … 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.”
By the time he was finishing his remarks. the stakes of the earlier scramble—security lines restarted for everyone. people waiting to re-enter. and families and staff trying to find their way back—were already part of the same night’s story. And when midnight hit, the sky over Washington carried the long-delayed signal: the show was going on.
Fourth of July National Mall Freedom 250 Severe weather Secret Service evacuation Donald Trump Melania Trump security lines fireworks