After a delay caused by strong storms that forced the evacuation of the National Mall, President Donald Trump delivered the keynote speech for the 250th anniversary of the United States this Saturday during the main ceremony in Washington, D.C.

At the beginning of his message, Trump greeted the attendees with: "Good evening, United States. If you think it was easy, you are wrong." He then thanked those who remained there despite the bad weather: "I want to thank you all because you did the right thing. You saw the lightning and I said, 'No way. If we have to speak in front of just one person at four in the morning, I'll be here. There's no way they're going to stop us.'"

The music enlivened the wait for the speech

Despite the delay, the atmosphere on the National Mall remained lively thanks to the musical performances that preceded Trump's speech. The attendees who returned to the venue sang and applauded as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Tenor Christopher Macchio performed Ave Maria, while singer Lee Greenwood thrilled the audience with God Bless the U.S.A., one of the most representative patriotic anthems of national celebrations.

Cabinet endorses Trump on the National Mall

Before taking the stage to deliver his speech, the president remained in the VIP box on the National Mall, accompanied by the first lady, Melania Trump, as well as members of his family and close collaborators.

Several members of Trump's cabinet also attended the event, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick; and the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin. They were joined by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, and the White House Communications Director, Steven Cheung, who supported the commemorative ceremony despite the adverse weather conditions.

Trump promised a speech “no matter what happens”

Despite the strong storms that forced the National Mall to be temporarily evacuated, President Donald Trump made it clear that the ceremony for the 250th anniversary of the United States would go ahead. Through his social network Truth Social, he assured that the weather would not prevent the national celebration and reiterated that he was willing to wait the necessary time to offer his message.

"Storms bring good luck to any occasion. Plus, they make events a little more exciting!" Trump wrote. "We'll wait for it to happen, I don't care if it's two in the morning or in an hour."

The president also downplayed the delay of the event and called on attendees to enjoy the day. "It's Saturday night, let's have fun! Even if we go out late. They say the speech starts at 11:00. Who cares?" he posted before leaving the White House for the official event.

For her part, Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez confirmed the reopening of the event's doors at the direction of the president and assured that the commemoration would continue as weather conditions improved. "United States, it's time to celebrate! The 'Tribute to America' celebration will go ahead; the president will give a speech and then the fireworks show will take place," he said in a statement.

Before taking the stage, Trump was seen in the VIP box on the National Mall accompanied by the first lady, Melania Trump, members of her family and senior officials of her administration, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, in a sign of the political support that surrounded the ceremony despite the complications caused by the weather.