As the United States basks in its 250th Anniversary celebrations Trump paying tributes to the previous presidents of America at Mount Rushmore on Friday, boasts his political standing.
“Tonight, we come to this beautiful mountain, and it is beautiful to express our gratitude to those who made it possible, starting with the four men most responsible for reaching this milestone more than any others,” Trump said. “We salute the fathers of our country.”
He expressed a desire to be memorialized alongside the forefathers of the country some day.
The celebration at Mount Rushmore was intended to be unifying and bipartisan, but the president’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of America has drawn controversy. Critics have accused Trump of hijacking the country’s birthday festivities to help boost a partisan agenda and to promote himself.
Trump recalling the Cold War era said,” A generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism, there is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success.”
On Saturday, Trump will head to the National Mall for what is being billed as the ‘spectacular rally’ as a part of the celebrations. The event, organised by a White House-backed private-public partnership, will include flyovers by hundreds of aircraft and a fireworks display organisers hope will be the biggest of all time.
The event, formally known as the Salute to America 250 Celebrations & Fireworks – is slated to begin at 19:00 local time, with Trump expected to speak a few hours later at approximately 21:45e.
According to the event’s organisers, approximately 850,000 fireworks will be launched from 10 sites across the city, including eight barges on the Potomac River. It is expected to last for 40 minutes – twice as long as the usual display which features about 20,000 fireworks.
It is aiming to secure the Guinness World Record for the largest official fireworks show ever, surpassing the current record set in 2016 by a megachurch in the Philippines.
Elsewhere in the country, the Times Square Ball in New York will drop eight times to signal midnight in every US time zone. There will also be a fireworks display in the city at 21:25 local time.
And in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed in Independence Hall 250 years ago, there will be a celebration concert featuring stars including Christina Aguilera and Meek Mill. The city is also hosting its final World Cup game earlier in the day.
In view of tepid temperatures other events scheduled on Saturday have been canceled.