Trump closes July 4 with speech and fireworksExBulletin

After a day of extreme heat and canceled events, President Trump is closing out America’s 250th birthday with a lengthy speech and fireworks.

DON GONYEA, HOST:

America is celebrating its 250th anniversary today in the middle of a heatwave. Temperatures in Washington, D.C., topped 100 degrees, but that didn’t stop people from lining up to attend events on the National Mall. NPR correspondent Geoff Brumfiel was there and he joins me now to discuss the heat and celebrations in the nation’s capital. Hello Geoff.

GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: Hi, Don.

GONYEA: So just start by telling me a little bit about what it’s been like in Washington today.

BRUMFIEL: It’s hot. It’s hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. I can’t say it enough. It’s an unrelenting sun, a stifling humidity. This led organizers to cancel the July 4 parade scheduled for this morning. But when we arrived at the mall, thousands of people were already waiting in line. They were there for the Great American State Fair, and many were going to attend another event later in the evening that was expected to draw even larger crowds. Trump is going to speak and there will be huge fireworks.

GONYEA: Were the organizers ready to handle the heat and these crowds?

BRUMFIEL: You know, they seemed to be. I mean, we saw pallets of water around the mall. It was distributed free of charge. I also briefly spent time in a medical role. He didn’t seem overwhelmed or anything. But I can’t stress it, Don, this heat is incredible. And as you know, there isn’t much shade in the mall. Yesterday, DC emergency services treated 45 people at the State Fair and transported 16 to the hospital. I imagine at the end of the day it could be worse.

GONYEA: What did they tell you about why they were subjecting themselves to the heat?

BRUMFIEL: You know, people don’t want to miss America’s birthday. Christie Morris was visiting from southern Ohio. She said the heat hasn’t really bothered her so far.

CHRISTIE MORRIS: Well, there’s a lot of water stations. We were able to get water wherever we needed it. We stopped at a Starbucks and refreshed ourselves during the walk here. So everything went well and everyone was very friendly. We met people from Germany, from Seattle, from Colorado. There are people here from all over the country.

BRUMFIEL: She was there with her best friend Shirley Jenkins, and Jenkins said they planned to stay out all day.

SHIRLEY JENKINS: We’ll also be here for Trump’s speech, because if we’re going to sweat, we’re going to sweat for Trump.

BRUMFIEL: But Trump isn’t expected to speak until 9:45 tonight, and even then temperatures will remain in the 80s, so…

GONYEA: Well, it looks like they’re interested. SO…

BRUMFIEL: Oh, yeah.

GONYEA: So what do we know about what the president might say in tonight’s speech?

BRUMFIEL: We haven’t seen the speech, but yesterday Trump gave a speech in front of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota that appeared to be a preview. He talked about how great America was, how many things were invented by Americans, but like many of Trump’s speeches, this one also had a dark tone. He spent a lot of time talking about communism.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Communism is the exact opposite of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil.

BRUMFIEL: He said communism must be defeated. You could say that’s what America did in 1989, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, but I think he seemed to be talking more about his political opponents. That wasn’t the only political part of the speech. He also called on Senate Republicans to end the filibuster so he could pass his voter ID law.

GONYEA: And quickly, Geoff, the Fourth of July in Washington isn’t complete without fireworks. I guess tonight’s will be big and then some.

BRUMFIEL: Yes, it’s going to be huge: 850,000 fireworks for a show lasting about 40 minutes, according to the Washington Post. This is absolutely huge compared to, as you know, the pretty extensive fireworks displays that DC puts on every Fourth of July. According to the post, this could actually cause air quality issues. The air quality was already very unhealthy and people with respiratory problems may need to stay indoors or wear masks.

But you know, Christie Morris… she told me she’s always up for it. His son is on the USS Nimitz in New York. He’s standing guard, and if he can do it, she texted me, we can do it. She’s holding up very well, she’s looking forward to the show.

GONYEA: All right, it’s Geoff Brumfiel from NPR. Thanks, Geoff.

BRUMFIEL: Very good. Thanks, Don.

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