President Trump sets off his own fireworks

Speech targets those who ‘slander’ him and disrespect country’s past

On a day meant for unity and celebration, President Donald Trump vowed to “safeguard our values” from enemies within — leftists, looters, agitators, he said — in a Fourth of July speech packed with all the grievances and combativeness of his political rallies.

Trump watched paratroopers float to the ground in a tribute to America, greeted his audience of frontline medical workers and others responding to the coronavirus pandemic, and opened up on those who “slander” him and disrespect the country’s past.

“We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, and the people who, in many instances, have absolutely no clue what they are doing,” he said.

“We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children.

“And we will defend, protect and preserve [the] American way of life, which began in 1492 when Columbus discovered America.”

He did not mention US pandemic deaths. Nearly 130,000 have died.

Even as officials across the country urged Americans to curb their enthusiasm for Fourth of July crowds, Trump enticed the masses with a “special evening” of tribute and fireworks, as new infections rise.

Trump has been aching to see the nation return to normalcy, and has been willing to push the envelope farther than many states and big city mayors are willing to go.

In many parts of the country, authorities discouraged mass gatherings for the holiday after days that have seen Covid-19 cases grow at a rate not experienced even during the deadliest phase of the pandemic in the spring.

The crowds wandering the National Mall for the night’s air show and fireworks were strikingly thinner than the gathering for last year’s jammed celebration there.

Many who showed up wore masks, unlike those seated close together for Trump’s South Lawn event, and distancing was easy to do for those scattered around.

In New York, once the epicentre, people were urged to avoid crowds and Nathan’s Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest happened at an undisclosed location without spectators on hand.

Trump’s South Lawn guests were doctors, nurses, law officers and military members as well as officials from the administration, said Judd Deere, deputy White House press secretary.

He said the event was a tribute to the “tremendous courage and spirit” of front-line workers and the public.

Yet Trump did not hesitate to use the country’s birthday as an occasion to assail segments of the country that do not support him.

Carrying on a theme he pounded on a day earlier against the backdrop of the Mount Rushmore monuments, he went after those who have torn down statues or think some of them, particularly those of Confederate figures, should be removed.

Support has been growing among Republicans to remove Confederate memorials.

“Our past is not a burden to be cast away,” Trump said.

His Democratic rival, Joe Biden, said in a statement that the US “never lived up” to its founding principle that “all men are created equal”, but today “we have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country.”

We will never allow an angry mob to tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children. President Donald Trump