Thunderstorms force evacuation at National Mall during July 4 celebration

Severe thunderstorms forced organizers to clear the National Mall on Saturday evening, sending crowds into nearby museums, subway stations, federal buildings and the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center after alerts at the Great American State Fair told participants to leave shortly after 7 p.m. ET. Many visitors had already spent hours in security lines under temperatures that reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit, and some refused to go when the evacuation order came.

The shutdown lasted roughly two hours before attendees were allowed back. The event was part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Trump did not return to the stage until about 11 p.m. to 11:15 p.m., after posting on social media, “I’m not going to let some rain stop our 250th.” His delayed remarks mixed patriotic themes with campaign-style politics, including renewed calls for proof of citizenship to register to vote and limits on mail ballots, before a fireworks display the White House billed as the largest in the country’s history.

Before Trump’s similar address in 2019, no U.S. president had delivered a July 4 speech there since 1951. This year’s event was organized over months, with planners and the White House calling it a signature moment for the 250th anniversary.

The storms were not limited to Washington. Hartford, Connecticut, canceled events; Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, did the same; Boston, Massachusetts, briefly sheltered people; and New York City and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, changed schedules as severe weather moved up and down the East Coast.