President Donald Trump mixed patriotism with partisanship as he celebrated America’s 250th anniversary, a moment he declared ‘one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time.’ Speaking in Washington, Trump honored veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam.

Trump’s Speech

Trump also leaned into partisan territory, stumping for the SAVE America Act, an elections bill that’s encountering challenges even from Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress. He highlighted his support for the Second Amendment and revived denunciations of communism, which are becoming an increasingly central part of Trump’s message ahead of the November midterms.

The event organizers were largely aligned with the White House, supplanting a bipartisan organization that was launched by Congress a decade ago. Trump was introduced by two musical performers who often appear at his trademark rallies, including Lee Greenwood, who performed ‘God Bless the USA.’

America’s 250th Anniversary Celebrations

Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own. Organizers of celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.

In New York, tall ships made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River, recalling the fanfare around America’s 200th anniversary in 1976. The 43 ships were followed by a display of aerial might with a stealth bomber and the Navy’s Blue Angels.

Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.