President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to share his account of a chaotic Independence Day celebration in Washington, D.C., where severe weather forced attendees to evacuate the event grounds on Saturday evening.
According to Trump, the crowd had reached 422,000 people by 7:05 p.m., but the festivities were cancelled due to lightning and severe weather conditions. However, Trump claimed he "immediately overturned" the decision to cancel, waiting for a while before allowing attendees to return.
Trump stated that at least 150,000 people returned, and the evening became "even more spectacular" than it would have been originally. He praised the Secret Service and Law Enforcement for their efforts in safely evacuating and then reallowing attendees to enter the arena in rapid fashion.
The Independence Day celebration, dubbed Freedom 250, was part of the country's 250th anniversary celebrations. However, severe weather forced attendees to take shelter in nearby buildings. Freedom 250 initially announced the evacuation due to approaching severe storms, but later that night, they declared that gates would reopen at 9:45 p.m. at Trump's direction.
Trump ultimately delivered a speech on Saturday night, followed by a massive fireworks show that began at midnight. He praised the organizers of the event, Freedom 250, a Great White House Commission, and Pyrotecnico, for producing the "Most Spectacular Fireworks Show" he had ever seen.
Trump's post on Sunday highlighted the challenges faced by event organizers and security personnel in navigating the severe weather conditions, but ultimately praised the successful execution of the event.
