WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President formally kicked off celebrations for on Wednesday night by working to get the country excited again 鈥� .
The president hosted a rally on Washington’s National Mall, including a series of booming flyovers by stealth bombers, music from military bands, and singing 鈥淕od Bless the USA.鈥�
鈥淭here has never been anything like the United States of America, and together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before,鈥� Trump said.
He said he’d restored the country to greatness, proclaiming, 鈥漀obody’s laughing at us anymore.”
As he does in all rally speeches, Trump championed his crackdown on the U.S.-Mexico border and opposition to transgender rights. However, perhaps in a nod to the anniversary celebrations, he was far less critical of Democrats than usual 鈥� at least to a point.
鈥淭he American Dream is alive again. It鈥檚 something that nobody thought they鈥檇 be saying when you went through that last four years of incompetence,鈥� Trump said.
The president also mentioned his the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial and build a ballroom at the White House.
Surprisingly, Trump wrapped his speech in less than half an hour 鈥� making it one of the shortest rally addresses of his second term and perhaps his entire political career. Just Tuesday, while addressing workers at a truck factory in Pennsylvania, Trump spoke for well over an hour.
Still, he found time to note that he’ll again be addressing a Washington rally on July Fourth, imploring, 鈥淵our favorite president will be speaking so please show up.鈥�
For Wednesday’s speech, the crowd was contained to a segment of the National Mall that was nearly full. From the stage, Trump could likely see the neon colors of the giant Ferris wheel erected in front of the Capitol.
Rally comes as midterms begin looming
Trump is working to convince Americans ahead of critical November elections that he’s put the in the rearview mirror, with oil prices easing as the has started to reopen in the wake of an interim deal to end the war with Tehran.
The rally launched weeks of celebrations about as part of 鈥淭he Great American State Fair鈥� on the mall, the national park that stretches from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.
But Trump鈥檚 appearance was only announced after several musicians 鈥� including Young MC, Martina McBride and the Commodores 鈥� because of concerns the event had become politicized.
Instead, among those addressing the crowd was Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who slammed the musicians who backed out while declaring that Trump is 鈥渢he greatest president that鈥檚 ever existed in this country since George Washington.鈥�
The president himself told the crowd, 鈥淭his is the beginning of the golden age of America.” He congratulated himself for ousting Venezuelan President 鈥� but made no mention of the earthquakes that rocked that country Wednesday night.
Organizers distributed rectangular cardboard American flags that some attendees used for shade before the sun went down and Trump took the stage.
On the menu for the crowd: burgers, sausages and turkey legs. The program felt like a summer concert, expect for the variety of American flag-themed outfits, from overalls to skirts to hats. There were also plenty of 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� hats.
Attendees included Karen and Brian Ontrap, who drove 500-plus miles from northwest Ohio with their children. They planned the trip in January to celebrate the nation鈥檚 250th anniversary and, for some in the group, see Washington for the first time.
Karen Ontrap said the pair support the president 鈥�100%.鈥�
Trump is pressing the case that he’s made America better
The president has struggled to deliver the presidency that he advertised to voters 鈥� causing his to dwell at a low 37%, according to the most recent polling.
Democrats say his botched repairs to the and the resulting are a sign that he鈥檚 spending instead of the nation’s legacy.
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said the Trump-affiliated group organizing the 250th anniversary was selling access to special interests and redrafting the nation’s founding to the president’s liking, based on documents he presented at a congressional hearing earlier this year.
鈥淚t should be about bringing us together,鈥� Huffman said. 鈥淗e’s trying to make this 250th celebration all about him.鈥�
Only 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s economic leadership, with favorability at 40% on immigration and 34% on Iran.
Trump’s rallies can only help so much without improvements on inflation
than what Trump inherited and it has been outpacing wage growth. The remains on a path upward that keeps interest rates high. Investments in artificial intelligence are driving growth, but they come with fears of middle-class job losses such that the construction of data centers needed for have become controversial politically.
Still, for many, Trump was the main attraction.
Jacob Wankasky and his family, traveling from Buffalo, New York, peeled off a day early from their trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, when he and his wife, Jennifer, realized they could see Trump before their planned visit Thursday to the State Fair with their children, ages 4 and 6.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a once in a lifetime chance,鈥� Jacob Wankasky said. In a bright red 鈥淎merica Is Back鈥� ballcap, the 42-year-old antique mall owner, said Trump鈥檚 return to the White House was a relief in a time of 鈥渋nsanity.鈥�
__
Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Haya Pajwani in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
