In pictures: July 4 celebrations across the United States
For Americans, nothing is impossible, says Trump
PHOTO:AFP
President Donald Trump sang praises of the US military and American heroes of the past two and a half centuries on July 4, skirting politics in a rousing Independence Day speech in Washington.
"What a great country," Trump exclaimed in an address saturated with patriotism and exceptionalism.
"For Americans, nothing is impossible," he said
Combat aircraft, including the rarely-seen B2 stealth bomber, flew overhead as Trump scrolled through myriad events of US history, from groundbreaking inventions to battlefield victories.
The July 4 celebrations usually draw hundreds of thousands of people to the National Mall for picnics and twilight fireworks,
Trump originally wanted a grand military parade for the holiday, ostensibly inspired by France's rollout of its armed forces on its own national day.
Instead, he got a scaled-back version, with some US armored vehicles parked for display and a flyover by the president's own Air Force One jet, the B2 bomber, attack helicopters, other warplanes, and the Navy's Blue Angels aerobatics team.
Even so, it was a show of martial force that has been absent from the US capital for decades, and Trump's foes blasted it ahead of time as a show of militarism.
"What a great country," Trump exclaimed in an address saturated with patriotism and exceptionalism.
"For Americans, nothing is impossible," he said
Combat aircraft, including the rarely-seen B2 stealth bomber, flew overhead as Trump scrolled through myriad events of US history, from groundbreaking inventions to battlefield victories.
The July 4 celebrations usually draw hundreds of thousands of people to the National Mall for picnics and twilight fireworks,
Trump originally wanted a grand military parade for the holiday, ostensibly inspired by France's rollout of its armed forces on its own national day.
Instead, he got a scaled-back version, with some US armored vehicles parked for display and a flyover by the president's own Air Force One jet, the B2 bomber, attack helicopters, other warplanes, and the Navy's Blue Angels aerobatics team.
Even so, it was a show of martial force that has been absent from the US capital for decades, and Trump's foes blasted it ahead of time as a show of militarism.