Severe weather disrupts US’s 250th celebrations

Severe weather has disrupted celebrations of the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, including in Washington, DC, where a thunderstorm delayed a speech from President Donald Trump by almost two hours.

Trump, addressing a crowd of thousands after Saturday’s delay, described the milestone as “one of the most joyous and glorious” in the nation’s history.

He paid tribute to veterans, including several who served in the second world war, and celebrated US military prowess, claiming that the US had “wiped out” Iran’s military.

The president used the occasion to press his case for the SAVE America Act, which would require ID and proof of citizenship to vote, and renewed his attacks on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which he has repeatedly described as “communist” and compared to a cancer.

“It’s like a cancer – you’ve got to cut it out”, he said.

In New York City, authorities put on a large fireworks display to mark July 4th celebrations, bringing the 30-minute show forward because of the threat of storms.

The rain and lightning stayed away, allowing thousands of people to enjoy the spectacle.

Elsewhere, severe weather prompted the cancellation of celebrations in Hartford in the state of Connecticut, along with Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre in the state of Pennsylvania. Spectators in the city of Boston, who had gathered to watch fireworks, were told to briefly seek shelter before events later resumed. The city of Pittsburgh also moved forward with fireworks but shifted the time to accommodate the shifting weather.

Earlier in Washington, DC, authorities ordered a weather-related evacuation, with spectators sheltering in nearby museums and government buildings for a few hours. But the crowd later retuned to an open field near the Washington Monument several hours later.

Visitors had waited hours to get into the event, contending with stepped-up security and temperatures that reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius). The record-breaking heat wave forced the cancellation of several parades and other events in the area.

“It’s just part of the deal I signed up for,” said Glen Solander, 60, ‌a software engineer visiting from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as he waited at a security checkpoint on Saturday afternoon.

Other visitors included the white nationalist organisation Patriot Front.

The group posted on social media that it had arrived in the capital, and hundreds of people wearing the group’s outfits travelled to the city on Metro trains serving the District of Columbia region.

Local police said they had not received any reports of violence.

Past presidents have generally avoided in-person appearances at July 4 celebrations, but Trump has blurred the line between official commemoration and campaign-style politics.

The Trump administration’s Freedom 250 group has largely sidelined a nonpartisan body set up in 2016 to handle the 250th anniversary ⁠and has fenced off much of the 2.4-kilometre (1.5-mile) National Mall for a “Great American State Fair” featuring attractions such ⁠as a Ferris wheel alongside displays by conservative groups and defence contractors.

Freedom 250 says the fair aims to showcase the people and innovations that make the US “the greatest nation on Earth”.

Several Democratic-led states declined to send delegations, and many performers scheduled to appear dropped out, citing concerns about partisanship.

Trump opened the event with a rally on June 24.

Other activities with Freedom 250 branding include a ⁠faith rally featuring mostly conservative Christian speakers, and multiple sports events, including a card of mixed martial arts bouts on the White House grounds for Trump’s 80th birthday on June 14.

An IndyCar race in Washington is scheduled for August.

The Freedom 250 organisation also sponsored “Freedom Trucks” that critics say paint an overly religious version of American history and gloss over issues such ‌as slavery and racial injustice.

Trump has sought to remake wide swaths of the capital city ahead of the 250th celebration, with mixed ‌results. ‌Many fountains and statues have been renovated, but problems have beset a much-touted $15m renovation of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool.

Security cameras and soldiers now stand watch over its peeling paint and algae-fouled waters.