• President warns of ‘communist menace’, praises American exceptionalism
• Speech at Mount Rushmore frames immigration as central to America’s struggle
• Extreme heatwave grips US, disrupting Independence Day celebrations nationwide

WASHINGTON: America marked its 250th anniversary on Saturday, a landmark milestone coinciding with deep national division and a president seizing the festive centre stage to warn that the nation’s identity is under attack.

The milestone arrived amid a brutal heat wave placing some 160 million Americans under extreme weather warnings, disrupting parades and celebrations across the country.

The searing temperatures did little to deter President Donald Trump. Late Friday, he visited the Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota for an address under the gaze of four legendary predecessors.

While lauding American exceptionalism, Trump claimed the American identity is “under a renewed attack”. Taking aim at domestic progressive Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections, he warned of a rising political threat.

“There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success,” Trump said. “We’re not going to let this happen.”

Trump tied his anti-communist rhetoric to the anti-immigrant themes that fuelled his political rise, calling recent primary victories by democratic socialists “the greatest threat to our country since its founding”.

“We stand beneath the monument of these heroes, a true group of unbelievable people, and we rededicate ourselves to being a nation as big, bold, noble, and as great as these American giants,” Trump told the crowd at the granite mountain. He further vowed to push back against political opponents and immigration trends.

“We resolve and swear for all to hear that the citizens of the United States of America will vanquish communism quickly,” Trump said. “We will send them quickly away, and we will continue to build our country bigger and better, stronger than ever before. America will never be a communist country!” He added, “We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms.”

While his language fell short of past violent rhetoric, the underlying message remained clear.

“You do not have to be born here, but you do have to love what we have built,” Trump said.

Super-sized celebration in heat

On Saturday evening, Trump planned a massive campaign-style rally on the fenced-off National Mall in Washington, capped by roaring military flyovers and super-sized fireworks.

With US capital temperatures exp­e­c­ted to reach 102 degrees and a heat index soaring to 115, the Indep­en­dence Day parade was cancelled. Trump, 80, remains undeterred.

“It’s going to be approximately 107 degrees 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,” Trump earlier said.

Reflection

For Americans, the 250th festivities offer a moment for celebration and reflection. Surveys indicate a nation divided about its future.

A Quinnipiac University poll showed 61 per cent of Americans thought the US was not living up to the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence, with most Republicans thinking it did and most Democrats disagreeing.

International leaders also weighed in. Pope Leo XIV, the first US pope, used the occasion to advocate for an inclusive society, stating that defending human life includes welcoming immigrants. In London, King Charles III said Britain would “continue to defend our shared values”.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2026