'I will be there no matter what': Trump defies storm threat ahead of July 4 speech

US President Donald Trump has vowed to go ahead with his address marking the United States' 250th anniversary despite severe weather forcing the temporary evacuation of the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Thunderstorms and heavy rain disrupted preparations for the Independence Day celebrations on Saturday, prompting the US Secret Service to suspend security screening and ask people already gathered at the venue to move to safer locations. However, organisers later confirmed that the event would proceed after a brief delay.

Trump, who is scheduled to address the gathering, said bad weather would not stop him from attending the celebrations and delivering his speech.

Trump says rain will not stop celebrations

In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed confidence that the storms would pass and insisted that the celebrations would continue regardless of the weather.

"I will be there no matter what," he wrote, adding that storms often make events "a little bit more exciting."

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"It’s Saturday night, LETS HAVE SOME FUN, even if we are out late tonight," Trump said, noting that the speech had been pushed back by about an hour to 11 PM local time (8:30 AM IST).

Drawing a comparison with a recent UFC event that had also faced forecasts of heavy rain, Trump said the weather had eventually cleared and the event turned out to be a success. He also praised US military veterans, saying that if they had endured far greater hardships, rain should not stop Americans from celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary.

"I'm not going to let some rain stop our 250th," he wrote before leaving the White House for the event.

National Mall evacuated as storms approach

Ahead of the speech, the Secret Service temporarily shut down security checkpoints at the National Mall due to dangerous weather conditions.

In a message posted on X, the agency instructed attendees to seek shelter immediately and advised them not to take cover under trees because of the storm risk.

Authorities later announced that screening would resume once conditions improved. Everyone who had left the venue was required to undergo security screening again before re-entering the event area.

Freedom 250, the organisation coordinating the celebrations, confirmed that attendees would be allowed back into the venue and that Trump's speech would go ahead after the delay.

Heat wave adds to challenges

Apart from the storms, visitors also had to deal with an intense heat wave that pushed temperatures to nearly 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius).

Thousands of people waited for hours to clear security checks before entering the National Mall. The unusually high temperatures led to the cancellation of several Independence Day parades and public events in and around Washington.