President Donald Trump touted “incredible” crowds turning out for his Freedom 250 festival in Washington, D.C. on Saturday — despite record heat in the nation’s capitol that led to the cancellation of its decades-running July 4th parade.
Trump insisted the weather “isn’t as bad as predicted” and assured he’ll be speaking outside the Lincoln Memorial Saturday evening at 10 p.m. local.
“Despite the heat, which isn’t as bad as predicted, the crowds in D.C. are INCREDIBLE!” the president wrote on Truth Social. “The love of our Country has never been stronger!”
He additionally toasted the air shows above the capitol — “What great pilots, what great equipment!!!” — and condemned the alleged vandals of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
“The Reflecting Pool looks great, despite all it went through with the Vandal Thugs,” Trump wrote. “Will quickly drain and fix the damage done right after this big weekend. Happy Independence Day. Our Country is Stronger than EVER!!!”
Read the post in full below:
The president’s July 4th message came after the city’s beloved America’s National Independence Day Parade was canceled late Friday due to the record heat wave caping the East Coast. At the time of publishing, Washington, D.C. was 96 degrees at 46% humidity. Midafternoon saw temperatures of 103 degrees that felt like 111 degrees, according to AccuWeather.
The previous Fourth of July heat record in D.C. was 100 degrees set in 1919.
“The organizers of America’s Independence Day Parade, scheduled for July 4, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., have canceled the parade due to extreme heat in the Washington, DC, region,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement. “The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning for the District of Columbia, with heat index values expected to reach between 110°F and 115°F. This decision was made after extensive and careful consideration of the safety of our participants, spectators and staff as the top priority.”
On Saturday, Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said in a statement that weather was being monitored as festivities carried into the afternoon and evening.
“The safety of our guests, performers and staff is our top priority,” Alvarez said. “Freedom 250, United States Park Police, National Park Service, United States Secret Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and all public safety partners are actively monitoring weather conditions. Freedom 250 will share updates on programming — please stay close to our official channels for updates.”
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