Trump vows to give long July 4 address even if it is 107 degrees

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President Trump on Wednesday vowed that he will deliver a long speech on the National Mall for the U.S.’s 250th birthday, even as forecasters anticipate temperatures climbing to 107 degrees.

“By the way, on July 4th, 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,” Trump said during his appearance at the opening ceremony for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, N.D.

Saturday’s “Salute to America 250 Celebration & Fireworks” event on the National Mall is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with Trump slated to speak at 9:45 p.m. EDT. Freedom 250, the Trump administration’s organization behind the scenes operating the Great American State Fair along the National Mall, will also orchestrate the Salute to America event.

The president previously billed the event on the National Mall as “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all.”

“There will be incredible Flyovers and Airshows featuring our Top Military Pilots and Equipment, and I will deliver keynote remarks that you will not want to miss,” he wrote on Truth Social last month. “To conclude the program, and commemorate this Historic Occasion, I will be launching, what will be, the LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY, right here in our Nation’s Capital. Do not miss it.”

The fireworks show is slated to kick off at 10:30 p.m., according to Freedom 250’s website. However, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday said the fireworks show will start at 11 p.m.

The National Weather Service (NWS) expects D.C. to reach a high of 107, as the president said. The temperature is likely to remain hot through the evening, but it should drop to 88 degrees by 9 p.m. when Trump gives his address. The city faces an elevated extreme heat risk all throughout Saturday.

Forecasters also anticipate a high heat index of 94 degrees and humidity levels reaching 54 percent. They warn this could leave temperatures feeling hotter outside, potentially challenging daily record high temperatures.

“It looks as though the heat and humidity will likely hold on through the weekend as well,” the NWS stated on Wednesday. “However, forecast confidence in the exact high temperatures starts to decrease a bit, as both remnant cloud cover from thunderstorms on previous days and thunderstorms from the day of could impact temperatures.”

Washington’s record for the hottest temperature on the Fourth of July was 1919, when the high reached 100 degrees, according to the NWS.

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