THOUGHTS ON LAST NIGHT'S AMERICA 250 INDEPENDENCE DAY GATHERING IN WASHINGTON DC.

The Mall had been evacuated earlier in the evening due to severe weather. Some events were canceled (mostly the flyovers that had been happening throughout the day) and others rescheduled. Around 11 pm the the gates were reopened and America 250 restarted with President Trump to speak at 11:20 pm.

Surprising me, the Mall area started refilling quickly. Apparently most of the attendees had stayed around expecting it reopen. I heard estimates of upwards of 100,000 people, including many families with young children staying up well past their bedtimes. People were still coming in when President Trump began speaking.

His speech was essentially a guided military/crisis history of the United States from 1776 through 2026 using the real flags that had flown during those periods. He brought to the stage people (or surviving family members of those) who had actually participated in the events of which he spoke to remind us of the essential greatness of the American spirit. It was a very moving speech.

Then the fireworks began, and President Trump delivered what he promised -- they were spectacular. And they weren't launched from a single point -- from behind the stage, to the left, to the right, all over. I can only think of it as an IMAX theater performance. It lasted a bit over 30 minutes, at least twice as long as any I have ever seen.

And then the people left. Quietly. Not a fight to be seen; not a riot; not a shot fired.

The way an Independence Day celebration should be....