Storms disrupt Trump's Washington rally during US 250th anniversary events

Washington,UPDATED: Jul 5, 2026 06:50 IST

Severe storms near Washington on Saturday disrupted President Donald Trump's plans to mark America's 250th anniversary of independence with a rally on the Mall, with organisers ordering an evacuation as bad weather moved in. The disruption came as much of the US East Coast dealt with intense heat, forcing some cities to cancel or alter holiday events.

Even as celebrations continued in places such as New York, Philadelphia and Houston, the milestone was also unfolding against a backdrop of sharp political divisions in the US. Trump and other political leaders used the occasion to underline competing messages about the country, while crowds gathered across cities for fireworks, parades and other events.

A statement from Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said, "Freedom 250 will share updates on programming and doors reopening," while urging participants to seek shelter at museums and federal buildings near the Mall. Washington's metro system also said several underground stations were open for shelter.

Severe weather also led to the cancellation of celebrations in Hartford, Connecticut, and in Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In Boston, spectators at a fireworks show and concert were briefly told to seek shelter before events resumed. Fireworks plans were still going ahead in other cities, including New York, where tall ships sailed past the Statue of Liberty earlier in the day, recalling the fanfare around America's 200th anniversary in 1976.

In Washington, signs at the Great American State Fair carried an alert shortly after 7 pm ET asking people to leave the area. As the evacuation order was played over loudspeakers, some people stayed where they were and spoke to those around them, while others moved towards the exits. Guard troops told people to leave. The US Secret Service said it had temporarily shut checkpoints for screening attendees ahead of Trump's speech, which was due to begin around 10 pm ET. Military flyovers planned for the day were also cancelled.

Crowds had been building in Washington hours before the speech. Tina Hale, 58, of Cohoes, New York, watched three of her grandchildren put their hands into a pool of water near a museum and pointed to the sky as three military jets flew overhead. "If that doesn't make you proud to be an American," she said.

David Koshko, 42, and his wife, Jennifer Koskho, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had come to Washington for a baseball game and planned to stay for the city's fireworks. After spending hours in the heat during the Pittsburgh Pirates' win over the Washington s, they rested in the shade of an overpass near the Mall. "Just to be a part of the 250 years (anniversary) is an amazing thing," said David Koshko, a commercial driver and veteran of the Marine Corps reserves.

In Philadelphia, fireworks began going off as early as midday near Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Hundreds of visitors gathered in the heat for celebrations that coincided with the France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium. "It's one big party in here," said Carlos Alban, who travelled from Chicago for the match, adding that he had seen a fan in the parking lot dressed as one of the Founding Fathers.

In Houston, a message from astronauts aboard the Space Station marking the holiday was shown in the stadium about 45 minutes before another World Cup match. In New York, 43 tall ships sailed around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River, followed by a display featuring a stealth bomber and the Navy's Blue Angels. Patrouille de France flew over New York Harbor with red, white and blue trails. "We got up early and just rode our bikes about a mile down here to come see the scene," said Jersey City resident Oona Moore. "We saw the tall ships and we saw the planes, you know, all different manner of military aircraft. I've never seen it so close and in the sky at the same time." At George Washington's Mount Vernon, people took the Oath of Allegiance to become US citizens and stood with eyes closed and hands over their hearts for the national anthem.

Trump also spoke on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who both congratulated the US as their countries remain at war. In recent days, he had also heard from Britain's King Charles III and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Inside the US, the celebrations were taking place during an election year and amid a divide shaped by politics, culture, race, class and immigration.

At Mount Rushmore on Friday, Trump called communism a "mortal threat to American liberty" and said it was more dangerous than either World War or 9/11. Without naming Trump, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Friday, "Those ideals upon which our nation was built - they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them." Vice President JD Vance, speaking aboard the USS Kearsarge in New York Harbor, said, "They will tell you that America is just another country, where the weak struggle against the strong."

As storms, extreme heat and political messaging shaped the day, Americans still turned out in large numbers for the 250th anniversary celebrations, even as organisers in several cities were forced to change plans at short notice.

With PTI Inputs

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