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Mr. Trump’s speech was followed by a massive fireworks display. About 850,000 fireworks shells were set off from 10 different sites as part of the “” The nearly blinding display, 40 minutes long, set a world record.
Mr. Trump did not begin speaking until 11:15 p.m. Crowds returned to the Mall following the evacuation in time to hear his speech and watch the fireworks display that launched before midnight.
Mr. Trump’s speech was largely a tribute to the nation’s patriotic past but wove in his own agenda, urging Congress to pass his voter ID legislation, the stalled Save America Act.
He paid tribute to veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Civil War. The stage where Mr. Trump delivered the address was adorned with historic flags — one that few following the Revolutionary War victory in Saratoga, another at the British surrender at Yorktown, and one that draped the coffin of President Abraham Lincoln.
“Together we are also reasserting the truth that American strength and power is not something to be ashamed of. It is something we are very, very proud of,” Mr. Trump said. “This country has been the greatest force for peace and justice on earth in the last century. We defeated tyrants, demolished evil and saved freedom again and again and again.”