Trump vows to make July Fourth speech after storms force crowd evacuations

Hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled to participate in Washington, D.C.’s July Fourth celebrations with a rally and speech before fireworks, people were being asked to leave the event because of the weather conditions Saturday evening.

Organizers later said that the event would begin over two hours late at 9:45 p.m. with the president speaking at 11 p.m. Trump, however, indicated he would go later if need be.

“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,” he said in a social media post Saturday night.

Trump added that “storms bring luck to whatever the occasion. They also make events a little bit more exciting.”

“It’s Saturday night, LETS HAVE SOME FUN, even if we are out late tonight. They say 11:00 O’Clock for the speech. Who cares???” he wrote.

The “Salute to America 250 Celebration & Fireworks” celebration was slated to begin at 7 p.m. Saturday in Washington — when temperatures were set to feel like near 100 degrees, according to the forecast.

However, the program was delayed and attendees were asked to temporarily leave and seek shelter in nearby buildings due to both the heat and forecasted thunderstorms.

“The safety of our guests, performers, and staff is our top priority,” Danielle Alvarez, a spokeswoman for Freedom 250, the organizers of the event said in a statement.”

At times, there was confusion among the crowd as the evacuation orders were announced. But with military flyovers continuing, some attendees stopped in their tracks to take pictures of ongoing flyovers instead of evacuating.

Organizers ramped up the effort over the loudspeakers and declared in a stern message that the evacuation was mandated by U.S. Secret Service. 

But some in the crowd appeared frustrated, with some booing and remaining in their seats, with some erupting into chants of “USA.”

The evacuation and delays forced the cancellation of some performances.

The celebration originally included several military flyovers, however, some of the flyovers were cancelled due to the weather, shortly after the evacuations took place.

Organizers also asked people to evacuate the Freedom 250 State Fair event on the National Mall.

“Due to approaching severe weather, we are temporarily pausing the event for your safety,” an overhead announcement said. 

A few hours earlier, the president downplayed the intense heat in a social media post Saturday afternoon.

“Despite the heat, which isn’t as bad as predicted, the crowds in D.C. are INCREDIBLE,” he said.

The preliminary high temperature in Washington, D.C., Saturday was 102 — making it the hottest July Fourth on record for the city, according to ABC News’ meteorologists. This breaks the previous record high of 100 degrees set on July 4, 1919.

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he wouldn’t be deterred by the heat.

“It’s going to be approximately 107 degrees out, and I’m going to go, and I’m going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything,” he said.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of the mid-Atlantic, including D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, and is set to remain in effect until 10 p.m. The main concern from any severe thunderstorms that moves through is strong, potentially damaging wind gusts, which could top 60 mph in some spots.

Freedom 250 organizers said Saturday that they and their public safety partners were closely monitoring the weather in Washington, D.C., amid record heat enveloping the region. 

Attendees were not permitted to bring coolers into the primary secured viewing area, but officials said hydration will be available inside. Medical response plans included first-aid tents, additional ambulances, bicycle teams and multiagency response teams.

Some visitors to the Great American State Fair were treated by medics Friday because of the extreme heat. The fair had to close down temporarily Friday because of the high temperatures; the opening on Saturday was also pushed back two hours due to heat.

Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, according to the National Weather Service.

The event, billed as the largest display ever held over the National Mall, was scheduled to feature 850,000 pyrotechnic effects and fireworks, event organizers said. The fireworks were expected to begin between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. and last approximately 35 minutes, launching from 10 sites around the National Monument, Freedom 250 and D.C. officials said.

In previous years, the fireworks began around 9 p.m.

Trump’s speech comes as Trump and his administration have faced pushback for controversial domestic and international policies. The president also faces low approval ratings — though a June Quinnipiac poll found them up from the lowest of his second term.

According to the poll, 38% of voters approve of Trump and 55% disapprove (in May it was 34% to 58%).

Quinnipiac found majorities of voters disapproved of the way that Trump is handling immigration issues, the economy, foreign policy and the ongoing war with Iran.

The president has also come under fire for several construction and renovation projects in Washington, including the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make way for a multi-million dollar ballroom and the repainting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The Reflecting Pools has been closed off to visitors following the peeling paint and algae in the water shortly after the renovation was initially deemed complete.

ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson, Fritz Farrow, Noah Minnie, and Daniel Peck contributed to this report.