For the United States, the July 4 weekend is historic, marked by record heat, the World Cup and, above all, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The “official” celebrations, as is increasingly common in a United States polarized under Donald Trump’s presidency, are unfolding on two parallel tracks.
On one side is America250, the institutional and bipartisan organization established by Congress in 2016 and funded with $150 million in federal funds; on the other is Freedom 250, a powerful privately funded operation created by the tycoon to mark the landmark anniversary in his own way. The unusual overlap reportedly confused both donors and performers, many of whom said they withdrew from the Freedom 250 lineups after discovering it was not bipartisan.
On Mount Rushmore, the tycoon’s Freedom 250
The president flew to South Dakota for the tightly secured “Freedom 250 Rushmore Fireworks Celebration.” The White House obtained permission to restore the fireworks display above the carved faces of the four presidents at Mount Rushmore, which had been banned for five years because of the high wildfire risk in the Black Hills. The event, protected by extensive security measures, is attended by only 4,800 citizens chosen by lottery from more than 103,000 applicants. Before the fireworks launch at 10 p.m. (5 a.m. on July 4 in Italy), Trump is scheduled to deliver a programmatic speech presented by official channels as “the supreme tribute to the leaders who shaped the American experiment.”
Heat emergency looms over the main event in Washington
It is also the day of the main event in Washington, D.C., threatened by the climate emergency sweeping the U.S.: according to meteorologists, this first weekend of July could become the hottest in American history. An exceptional heat dome is affecting more than half the country, pushing temperatures from the Midwest to the East Coast to peaks between 39 and 42 °C, with more than 300 seasonal temperature records at risk of being broken. In the capital, highs of around 42 °C are expected, a figure that would shatter the 37.8 °C record set in 2019. Despite serious public health warnings urging caution, the president said he would defy the weather alert: “It will be about 42 degrees and I will give a very long speech, just to show I can do anything,” he declared while promoting his “Salute to America 250 Celebration.”
Despite the oppressive heat, the National Mall is preparing to welcome over a million visitors who follow Fourth of July traditions — parades, patriotic rituals and the customary barbecues featuring hot dogs and hamburgers that have united the country since 1776.
The bid for a record and the World Cup pause
After the “very long speech” promised by Trump at 9:45 p.m. (3:45 a.m. in Italy), an official attempt to enter the Guinness World Records will begin. Freedom 250 commissioned the Pyrotecnico company to create a colossal 40-minute wall of fire over the Potomac River: a deployment of 860,000 fireworks, a volume one hundred times larger than usual, designed to beat the world record set in 2016 by the Philippine megachurch Iglesia Ni Cristo (810,904 fireworks). Anticipation for the celebrations is so intense that it will affect the World Cup schedule: FIFA has reportedly adjusted the day’s program, pausing matches immediately after the 5 p.m. quarterfinal match in Philadelphia between France and Paraguay to make room for the national nighttime events.
Across the country, the heat wave is forcing drastic measures. In Philadelphia, where the holiday has special solemnity because both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed there, authorities shortened the historic parade route. Nashville has launched extraordinary water distributions for people experiencing homelessness, while New York will open cooling centers for the first time to cope with an expected 38 °C. In the Big Apple, public safety pressure will be intense: alongside official celebrations and the International Naval Review — featuring historic vessels and warships from 32 allied nations as part of the Operation Sail legacy from 1976 — the city is secured around Madison Square Garden for the high-profile wedding of pop star Taylor Swift and NFL star Travis Kelce.
America250, the neutral alternative to Trump’s monopoly
To provide a neutral alternative to the White House’s dominance of the celebrations, the bipartisan organization America250 is focusing its efforts outside the capital. At the National Historical Park in Philadelphia a time capsule will be buried and sealed until 2276, intended to convey an authentic portrait of the nation to future generations. On the opposite coast, 50,000 people are expected at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles for the large concert America’s Block Party. Meanwhile, in Times Square, the famous New Year’s Eve ball will perform an unprecedented sequence: it will drop eight times in a row to mark midnight in each of the United States’ time zones and territories. The long summer of the 250th anniversary associated with Trump will continue through August, beginning with the Patriotic Games for the country’s top high school athletes (August 9–11), and concluding with the spectacular Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a city circuit race the president insisted on running along Washington’s avenues and past its historic monuments on August 22 and 23.
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