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Donald Trump
Donald Trump
45th and 47th U.S. President, US Executive Branch & The Trump Organization
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Watch President Trump's full speech at the Salute to America 250 event

📅 Jul 04, 2026 NBC News 37 MIN 63000 VIEWS 7 SEGMENTS · 3 SPEAKERS
Watch President Trump's full remarks at the Salute to America 250 event in Washington, D.C., celebrating the nation's milestone anniversary. The president's speech was delayed as weather in the area forced those in attendance to evacut\ate earlier in the day. For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day, click here: https://www.nbcnews.com » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Subscribe to Here's the Scoop podcast: https://www.nbcnews.com/heres-the-sco... » NBC News App: https://apps.nbcnews.com/mobile » Breaking News Alerts: https://link....

What Donald Trump said

Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.

President Trump addressed the Salute to America 250 event on July 4, 2026, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He noted that 375,000 people attended, with 150,000 staying despite lightning. He honored Sergeant William Carney, the first African American Medal of Honor recipient, and introduced Colonel Paris Davis and Corporal Don Graves. He praised veterans from Korea, including Pat Finn, Rudy Meekins, and Sonny Ray. Trump mentioned the Wright brothers' 1903 flight and the 1969 moon landing, and stated that Artemis II had sent astronauts to the far side of the moon three months prior. He presented the Artemis II crew, Apollo 17 astronaut Jack Schmitt, and NASA head Jared with a new flag and medals. He said the U.S. would go to Mars soon and lead in space. He honored 11 Gold Star families and told a story of a Belgian-made flag given to Major Kyle Key. He touted the economy, citing $19.2 trillion in new investment and all-time high stock market, and declared the start of the Golden Age of America.

Key takeaways

  1. Trump announced that Artemis II sent astronauts to the far side of the moon three months ago, in April 2026.
  2. Trump stated that $19.2 trillion in new investment has been made, with the stock market at all-time highs.
  3. Trump said the U.S. will go to Mars soon and lead in space, building on Space Force.
  4. Trump reported that 375,000 people attended the event, with 150,000 staying despite lightning.
  5. Trump honored 11 Gold Star families and presented medals to them backstage.

Numbers and commitments

FigureWhat it refers toTypeAt
375,000 people attended the event metric 0:05
150,000 people stayed despite lightning metric 0:05
250 anniversary of Declaration of Independence timeline 0:05
1903 Wright brothers flew timeline 21:43
1969 moon landing timeline 21:43
$19.2 trillion new investment in economy metric 31:10
11 Gold Star families honored metric 28:32

Chapters

  1. 0:00Opening and crowd attendance
  2. 21:43Space achievements and Artemis II
  3. 28:32Gold Star families and medals
  4. 31:10Flag symbolism and economy
Donald Trump 0:05 ↗
Good evening, America. Thank you for being here despite the lightning. We had 375,000 people, and 150,000 stayed. Tonight we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. America is the greatest nation in history. We honor our flag and our heroes. Sergeant William Carney, the first African American Medal of Honor recipient, said, 'Boys, the old flag never touched the ground.' Colonel Paris Davis and Corporal Don Graves are with us tonight.
Audience 21:42 ↗
USA, USA.
Donald Trump 21:43 ↗
These are the greatest generation. They saved the world. We will never be a communist country. Our veterans from Korea are here: Pat Finn, Rudy Meekins, and Sonny Ray. The Stars and Stripes cast the hammer and sickle into oblivion. In 1903, the Wright brothers flew. In 1969, we landed on the moon. Just three months ago, Artemis II sent astronauts to the far side of the moon. We are joined by the Artemis II crew, Apollo 17 astronaut Jack Schmitt, and NASA head Jared. I presented them with a new flag to be planted on the moon and medals from the White House.

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Cite this transcript

APA, MLA, BibTeX
APA

Trump, D. (2026, July 4). Watch President Trump's full speech at the Salute to America 250 event [Interview transcript]. NBC News. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1063062/

MLA

Donald Trump. "Watch President Trump's full speech at the Salute to America 250 event." NBC News, 4 Jul. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1063062/.

BibTeX 
@misc{trump2026_1063062,
  author       = {Donald Trump},
  title        = {Watch President Trump's full speech at the Salute to America 250 event},
  howpublished = {Interview transcript, NBC News. CEOInterviews.AI},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {jul},
  url          = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1063062/},
  note         = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}