Trump presses elections bill during July 4 anniversary speech

President Donald Trump used a July 4 address marking 250 years since American independence to promote the SAVE America Act, an elections bill that the Associated Press reported is facing resistance even from some congressional Republicans. The speech mattered because presidents often use Independence Day remarks to stress national unity, while Trump also returned to themes from his political rallies.

Speaking at the Salute to America event on the National Mall in Washington, Trump called the anniversary “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time,” according to the AP. His remarks followed a severe-weather interruption that forced a roughly two-hour evacuation of the Mall.

Trump honored veterans during the program, including World War II veterans and one of the first Black officers to command a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam, the AP reported. They appeared in front of historic flags tied to major moments in U.S. history, including one that covered Abraham Lincoln’s casket and another that flew on the Wright Brothers’ plane.

The president also used the holiday setting to press for the SAVE America Act, express support for the Second Amendment and renew attacks on communism, according to the AP. The AP described those anti-communism remarks as an expanding part of Trump’s message ahead of the November midterm elections.

The Washington event bore several hallmarks of Trump’s political style. The AP reported that he was introduced by performers frequently seen at his rallies, including Lee Greenwood, who sang “God Bless the USA.” Event organizers were largely aligned with the White House and displaced a bipartisan group Congress created about a decade ago, according to the AP.

Trump spent less time talking about himself than he typically does at rallies, the AP reported, though he joked about seeking a third presidential term and about World War II’s “greatest generation.” He told the crowd, “We will always be on top,” and said the country would not be allowed to fall.

Weather disrupts celebrations

The holiday weekend was shaped by dangerous heat and storms across much of the East Coast, according to the AP. Some planned celebrations were canceled in Hartford, Connecticut, as well as Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

In Boston, spectators at fireworks and concert events were briefly told to seek shelter before the program resumed, the AP reported. Philadelphia also ordered an evacuation, while New York and Pittsburgh continued with fireworks after changing their schedules to account for weather.

In Washington, an alert at the Great American State Fair urged people to leave the area shortly after 7 p.m. ET, according to the AP. Crowds sought shelter in museums, Metro stations and federal buildings near the Mall, including the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, where people waited in air conditioning.

The AP reported that Independence Day events elsewhere drew crowds despite the heat. In Philadelphia, visitors gathered near Independence Hall, and holiday commemorations coincided with a France-Paraguay World Cup knockout match at Philadelphia Stadium.

New York marked the anniversary with 43 tall ships passing the Statue of Liberty and moving up the Hudson River, followed by military aircraft including a stealth bomber and the Navy’s Blue Angels, according to the AP. Patrouille de France, the French Air Force aerobatic team, flew over New York Harbor trailing red, white and blue smoke.

At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia estate, people took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens, the AP reported. In Phoenix, brothers Steven and JayLn Dortch gathered at Granada Park for a July 4 cookout, where JayLn Dortch told the AP the country should remember the working people who keep it running.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.