Trump celebrates US might, avoids politics

International Live: President Donald Trump sang the praises of the US military and American heroes of the past two and a half centuries Thursday as he skirted politics in a rousing Independence Day speech in Washington.

As combat aircraft, including the rarely seen B2 stealth bomber flew overhead, Trump scrolled through myriad events of US history, from groundbreaking inventions to battlefield victories, drawing cheers of “USA! USA!” from an enthusiastic rain-soaked audience of tens of thousands on the National Mall in Washington.

In front of a massive statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln, the heroic 19th century president, Trump used the traditionally politics-free holiday to deliver shoutouts to each arm of the military, as well as singling out first responders and the controversial Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies that have been criticized for their treatment of migrants.

Surrounded by the top officers of the Pentagon, and a panoply of invited Republican officials and VIP donors, the event allowed Trump to stake a strong claim to patriotic fervor 16 months ahead of a presidential election with polls showing his potential Democratic rivals holding a significant edge over him.

“What, I wonder, will Donald Trump say this evening when he speaks to the nation at an event designed more to stroke his ego than celebrate American ideals?” said leading Democratic White House contender Joe Biden in a speech in Iowa earlier Thursday.

 

Dhaka 5 July (campuslive24.com)//MIH

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