WASHINGTON — Despite a three-hour weather delay, President Donald Trump delivered a Fourth of July address from the National Mall, celebrating America’s 250th birthday, and continued his warning of a “threat” to the country.
Trump took the stage at 11:15 p.m., an hour and 15 minutes later than expected.
“One of my very brilliant people backstage said, ‘Don’t worry about it, sir. We can do it. Maybe next week.’ I said, ‘It doesn’t work next week. This is the big day, we want July Fourth,” he said.
The president repeatedly referenced current-day politics, calling on Congress to pass his SAVE America Act, which would completely overhaul elections.
“There will be no mail-in ballots, except for illness, disability, military deployment, or travel, and you won’t have cheating on the elections anymore,” Trump said.
“We don’t want communists in our country,” the president said. “It never worked, and it never will work.”
“We like to stop a threat like that immediately and before it begins. It’s like a cancer – you’ve got to cut it out and you got to cut it out fast,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly called left-wing Democratic candidates who have won several primary elections “communists,” though he did not label them as Democrats on Saturday.
Before Trump, president’s rarely used God when discussing patriotism, but on Saturday, he invoked God — making his Christian base happy.
“All over the world, they try and be like us, nobody can be like us, and with God’s help, we will always be this, or even better,” he said.
“As our Declaration of Independence tells us, we are all made in the image of one almighty God, and a communist will never say that, that’s for sure,” he added.
Several military veterans and the Artemis II crew joined the stage to cheers as the president touted America’s history of military achievements and sacrifice.
