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Trump says he will still speak in Washington, DC, after heavy rains delayed celebrations in the US capital.
The severe weather has disrupted celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence, including in Washington, DC, where storms delayed President Donald Trump’s speech.
Thousands of people gathered in the US capital for the July 4th celebration on Saturday, but were moved to the National Mall when the storm closed it.
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But the group organizing the event, Freedom 250, said it will be rescheduled, and Trump will speak at 11pm (03:00 GMT), an hour later than originally planned.
“I will be there no matter what,” Trump wrote on social media. “It’s Saturday night, LET’S ENJOY IT, even if it’s late tonight.”
In New York City, authorities put on a huge fireworks display to mark the July 4th celebrations, bringing the 30-minute display to a standstill due to the threat of hurricanes.
Rain and lightning stayed away, allowing thousands of people to enjoy the spectacle.
Elsewhere, severe weather caused the cancellation of festivities in Hartford, Connecticut, along with Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Spectators at the Boston fireworks and concert were told to take shelter briefly before the event.
He also ordered the evacuation of Philadelphia. Pittsburgh went ahead with fireworks but changed the time to accommodate the changing weather.
In Washington, DC, crowds were building on the National Mall hours before the evacuation. Visitors braved heightened security and temperatures reaching 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) to join the event.
The extreme heat caused many people to cancel other activities in the area.
“It’s just part of the contract I signed,” said Glen Solander, 60, a software developer who visited from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as he waited at a security checkpoint Saturday afternoon.
Other guests were the white group Patriot Front.
The group posted on social media that it had arrived in the capital, and hundreds of people dressed in the group’s costumes traveled to the city on Metro trains serving the District of Columbia.
Local police said they had not received any reports of violence.
Former presidents typically avoid personal appearances at July 4th celebrations, but Trump blurred the line between commemoration and campaign politics.
Trump’s Freedom 250 group has largely departed from the non-partisan group that was founded in 2016 to celebrate its 250th anniversary and has covered the 2.4-kilometer (1.5-mile) National Mall “Great American State Fair” with attractions like Ferris wheels and safety wheels.
Freedom 250 says the fair aims to show people and innovation what makes the US “the greatest nation in the world”.
A number of democratically-led countries have refused to send delegates, and many of the expected players appear to have dropped out, citing concerns about divisiveness.
Trump opened the event with a rally on June 24.
Other Freedom 250-branded events include a faith-based rally featuring a number of conservative Christian speakers, and several sporting events, including a mixed martial arts card on the White House grounds on Trump’s birthday on June 14.
The IndyCar race in Washington is scheduled for August.
Freedom 250 has also sponsored “Freedom Trucks” that critics say depict America’s most religious history and protest issues such as slavery and racial injustice.
Trump wants to renovate many parts of the capital before the 250th anniversary, with mixed results. Most of the fountains and statues have been restored, but problems have plagued the $15m renovation of the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool.
Security and military cameras are now standing by looking at its cracked paint and algae-ridden water.
