Donald Trump says July 4 speech will happen ‘no matter what’ as storms threaten event

US President Donald Trump said he will deliver his much-awaited speech to mark the country’s 250th anniversary at the National Mall “no matter what,” even as thunderstorms threatened to disrupt the event.

“Storms bring luck to whatever the occasion. They also make events a little bit more exciting! We will wait it out, I don’t care if it’s 2:00 O’Clock in the morning, or in one hour from now. Looks like it is going to pass, they always do. I will be there no matter what, but the ‘what’ usually turns out to be a good thing,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

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This came after authorities ordered the crowd to evacuate the area near the Washington Monument where Trump was scheduled to speak. The group organising the event, Freedom 250, stated that they would be readmitted and Trump would speak at 11 p.m. ET, one hour later than the previous schedule, Reuters reported.

Earlier on Saturday, visitors waited for ​hours to get into the event, amid temperatures reaching 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius). ⁠The record-breaking heat wave even led to the cancellation of several parades and other events in the area.