Donald Trump made a stunning confession as part of a Truth Social onslaught after storms hit the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations.
The 80-year-old president shared over 100 posts from 11 a.m to 11 p.m Sunday with his almost 13 million Truth Social followers. They included a weird meme attacking Italy’s female prime minister, a post praising England’s World Cup captain Harry Kane, and a doctored image of Barack and Michelle Obama on the steps of Air Force One that prompted accusations of racism.
But a single sentence in one of the posts raised eyebrows after he boasted that he personally ignored expert advice to make sure his “Salute to America” was not derailed by potentially lethal extreme weather. In the post, Trump admitted he “overturned” a recommendation to cancel the evening’s festivities despite fears that going ahead could put people’s lives at risk.
The Sunday post began with Trump claiming—without producing any evidence—that over 400,000 people had initially gathered to hear him before the severe storms hit, after a day of triple-digit heat.
He then noted that thousands of attendees were evacuated from the area, roughly three hours before his speech was scheduled to begin.
“The Crowd at 7:05 in the evening was 422,000 people! All were forced to leave because of the weather, the event was cancelled, and everyone was gone because of lightning,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Incredibly, at least 150,000 people returned,” he said, adding, “it was an even more spectacular evening than it would have been as normalized! It showed work under pressure.”
Trump then admitted: “When I heard that it was cancelled, I immediately overturned that decision, and waited a while for people to come back.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and Freedom 250 for comment on Trump’s claim.
A senior White House official told the Washington Post on Sunday that “all the entities involved” had recommended canceling Saturday’s event, including Trump’s speech and the fireworks display, after the storms had led to the forced exodus from the National Mall.
“When POTUS heard this, he told all involved to invite everyone back in and the speech would take place, even if it meant waiting until 2 a.m.,” the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, told the Post.
The National Park Service first issued a weather evacuation alert around 7:15 p.m on Saturday. About 20 minutes later, Freedom 250 organizers escalated the alert, announcing that “severe storms” were approaching, stating, “The safety of our guests, performers, and staff is our top priority.” The warning came as thunderstorms could be heard nearby.
Freedom 250 then advised people to evacuate the event and “seek temporary shelter.” Tens of thousands were evacuated from the site, with some taking shelter in federal buildings.
Trump eventually arrived at the National Mall with first lady Melania at 10:09 p.m. as attendees were still going through TSA-style security checks to re-enter the area. He eventually took the stage around 11:15 p.m. after a 90-minute delay and spoke for approximately 40 minutes.
“I said, if we have to speak in front of one person at 4 o’clock in the morning, I’m going to be here. There’s no way we can be deterred,” he told the soaked crowd.
A Washington official involved in the organization of Saturday’s event told the Post the District had no direct knowledge of conversations that may have occurred between the event’s organizers and the White House about a potential cancellation on Saturday.
The National Mall activities for July 4 were designated as a National Special Security Event due to Trump’s desire to speak at the event, which he did behind bulletproof glass. The classification is usually reserved for presidential inaugurations or visits from foreign dignitaries.
Trump was talking down the weather threat when posting to Truth Social in real time on Saturday.
“Storms bring luck to whatever the occasion. They also make events a little bit more exciting! We will wait it out.... It’s Saturday night, LETS HAVE SOME FUN, even if we are out late tonight,” he posted just after 9 p.m.
“Our great veterans, especially the old timers, many of whom are there, went through hellfire, and it didn’t stop them. It’s not going to stop us either! I’m not going to let some rain stop our 250th,” he wrote.
The opening of the Great American State Fair was postponed by two hours on Saturday after the soaring temperatures.
The evening ended with a 40-minute fireworks display around midnight, three hours later than it had been in previous years, leading to chaos for those trying to get home.
Trump later declared that his team had produced “the Most Spectacular Fireworks Show I have ever seen, and I’ve seen them all.”
