Trump attacks communism and defends electoral reform on Independence Day
President Donald Trump delivered his July 4 speech on the National Mall after a delay due to bad weather. He began his speech by saying that the weather would not prevent it from happening.
"I want to thank everyone, because they did the right thing. They saw lightning, and I said... If we have to speak in front of one person at 4 a.m., I'll be here. There's no way they can stop us," Trump said from the pulpit, as the crowd cheered.
The United States Secret Service had to re-search people who were evacuated due to the bad weather that hit the Washington, D.C. region, just as the Freedom 250 celebration was about to begin. Many braved the lines, while others decided to leave.
"I feel very sorry for some of the people; they left, they couldn't come back, but you are very special people, and we have a very special country," Trump said.
Although Trump acknowledged the delay was "inconvenient," he presented it in a positive light.
"This is a night to remember. I think this is something very special. It's bigger than it would be if we didn't have lightning - we had lightning - but this is bigger, a little more inconvenient, but it's bigger. I think in its own way it's more beautiful," Trump said.
Trump displayed what he claimed was one of the first U.S. flags as he extolled American ideals during his July 4 speech.
"Dating to 1777, it bears the 13 stars and 13 stripes of the 13 states that declared independence on the Fourth of July," Trump said.
The president commented that these flags "have seen a lot" and fondly recalled the "stars and stripes that flew in triumph" during the Battle of Yorktown.
"Here, on our National Mall, we are celebrating the triumph of liberty over tyranny, the achievement of freedom over oppression, and the lasting victory of the American spirit, from July 4, 1776 to July 4, 2026," Trump said.
He mentioned his contempt for communism several times in his speech.
"Communism is a loser, and always will be," he said. "The communist system is the opposite of the American system, and the communist system has never worked. Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields around the world for this threat to resurface right here in America."
His comments are the latest in a series of public attacks on the ideology, following the victory of democratic socialists in Democratic primaries across the country.
He did not explicitly mention democratic socialism on Saturday, although he did say that "the United States will never be a communist country."
There are clear differences between democratic socialism and communism, which envisions a governmentless, classless society in which resources are distributed equally.
In a brief moment, Trump spoke in support of the passage of his federal election reform bill, the "SAVE America Act," adding a political twist to remarks that mostly praised war veterans who fought to preserve the country.
"Today, our country is winning again, and we are winning like never before. America is back, and we want to keep America great, and we will do that by passing the SAVE America Act, which means every voter must present an ID... every voter must provide a little thing called proof of citizenship," Trump said of the legislation, which faces an uphill battle on Capitol Hill.
"And there will be no mail-in votes except in cases of illness, disability, military service or travel, and there will be no more voter fraud. It's very simple," Trump added. (Although Trump has consistently claimed that mail-in votes are fraudulent, he voted by mail in Florida's special election in March.)
Trump also mentioned the SAVE America Act during a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday night, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune in the audience.
Source: CNN