{"id":6286,"date":"2026-06-24T05:36:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7716812\/the-latest-trump-will-head-to-capitol-to-speak-with-gop-senators-who-have-grown-frustrated-with-him\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T18:45:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T01:45:07","slug":"the-latest-crowd-gathers-on-the-national-mall-to-hear-trump-rally-for-america-250-kickoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6286\/the-latest-crowd-gathers-on-the-national-mall-to-hear-trump-rally-for-america-250-kickoff\/","title":{"rendered":"The Latest: Crowd gathers on the National Mall to hear Trump rally for America 250 kickoff"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump<\/a> is on Washington\u2019s National Mall on Wednesday for a campaign-style rally<\/a> that he hopes gets Americans excited about his presidency and the nation’s 250th anniversary<\/a> celebrations. <\/p>\n

The event comes after a day of tense meetings between Trump and Republicans in Congress over the Iran war, and a decision by a federal judge that sets back Trump\u2019s agenda to overhaul U.S. elections. Trump\u2019s role as the anniversary event\u2019s headliner emerged after several musicians canceled their appearances<\/a>, citing concerns the event had become politicized.<\/p>\n

Also Wednesday, a federal judge permanently barred<\/a> the Trump from implementing most of his first executive order<\/a> on elections, part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The judge agreed that the states and Congress have constitutional authority over elections, deeming Trump\u2019s requirements a violation of the separation of powers.<\/p>\n

And at a luncheon, Trump met with GOP senators who have grown increasingly frustrated<\/a> by his diversions from the party\u2019s agenda and his unclear Iran war strategy. Republican senators had hoped to use the housing bill Trump abandoned to show voters they care about affordability ahead of the November midterm elections.<\/p>\n

The Latest:<\/p>\n

It was just like a Trump rally \u2014 except it was much shorter<\/p>\n

There was Christopher Macchio, the American tenor who has sung at a number of Trump\u2019s events across the country. And Lee Greenwood sang \u201cGod Bless the U.S.A.\u201d as the president took the stage, a Trump staple.<\/p>\n

But the president himself spoke for only 28 minutes, a mere fraction of his political rally speeches, which often go on for 90 minutes or more.<\/p>\n

Unlike \u201cthe weave,\u201d a speech style Trump has said he uses to intersperse anecdotes into policy pronouncements, Trump stuck mostly to a script that bookended second-term accomplishments with a bit of American history.<\/p>\n

Earlier Wednesday as he met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump held forth for 45 minutes \u2014 talking for 12 minutes alone about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool\u2019s problems and crime-related issues.<\/p>\n

Trump gives rundown of what\u2019s to come for summer\u2019s celebrations<\/p>\n

Promising that the multiple flyovers seen Wednesday are only a \u201clittle tiny\u201d bit of what\u2019s to come in terms of military aircraft display, the president previewed other events coming to Washington this summer.<\/p>\n

The showpiece, he said, will be a Fourth of July fireworks display \u201c10 times larger than any that we\u2019ve ever done in Washington or in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump said he will speak that day as well and asked the crowd to \u201cplease show up.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also mentioned a rodeo \u2014 adding, \u201cI love rodeo, I don\u2019t know how they do it\u201d \u2014 the Patriot Games and a Grand Prix race through Washington.<\/p>\n

Trump highlights US raid in Venezuela, doesn\u2019t mention earthquakes<\/p>\n

Praising the U.S. military, the president described a \u201cflawless and breathtaking\u201d operation that led to the capture and arrest of President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in January.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t immediately mention the back-to-back earthquakes<\/a> that hit Venezuela on Wednesday, including a 7.5-magnitude quake that collapsed buildings in Caracas.<\/p>\n

The earthquakes hit roughly three hours before Trump took the stage for his rally.<\/p>\n

Trump describes his ballroom project as new monument for 250th anniversary<\/p>\n

The president has tried out a number of arguments to make the case for his proposed ballroom at the White House. Now he\u2019s describing it as a monument to honor the country\u2019s founding.<\/p>\n

He put it in a lineage of other U.S. monuments created around national anniversaries, including the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument and the National Air and Space Museum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are likewise building new monuments to American greatness to serve every future president and first lady,\u201d Trump said at his rally on the National Mall. \u201cWe\u2019re building the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world, right at the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n

Near the Reflecting Pool, Trump tells National Mall how it was \u2018gruesomely vandalized\u2019<\/p>\n

Ten minutes into his National Mall remarks, the president was back on one of his favorite topics of late: the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been gruesomely vandalized by thugs, bad people,\u201d he said, adding that suspects had \u201clargely been caught and are being prosecuted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, he took a 12-minute detour during an Oval Office meeting with NATO\u2019s secretary general to talk about the \u201csick people\u201d he said sliced portions of the lining.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s troubled $14-million-plus rehabilitation project<\/a> for the century-old pool has become a visceral flashpoint over law enforcement, aesthetics and environmental concerns ahead of the country\u2019s 250th anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n

The Reflecting Pool has been drained, painted and plagued with algae bloom<\/a>, with pieces of the new coating appearing to peel off the bottom.<\/p>\n

Trump swiftly pivots to Iran war<\/p>\n

After a brief introduction honoring America\u2019s founding, Trump quickly turned the topic to the Iran war.<\/p>\n

Trump brought up an agreement last week that will extend a ceasefire while the U.S. and Iran negotiate over how to end the war.<\/p>\n

Even as important details remain unsolved, Trump framed it as a victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz and accomplish what no president has ever been able to accomplish before,\u201d Trump said to cheers.<\/p>\n

Trump gives \u2018a very big hello to America\u2019 in National Mall remarks<\/p>\n

The president took the stage as Lee Greenwood, a staple at his political rallies and other events, sang his signature song, \u201cGod Bless the U.S.A.\u201d He shook hands with the president as he hit the closing portion.<\/p>\n

Trump greeted the crowd by recalling how the Founding Fathers \u201cchanged the world forever and ever with a thing called the Declaration of Independence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president swiftly moved into recounting the strengths of the American economy and military.<\/p>\n

Before Trump takes the stage, the lawn is almost full<\/p>\n

From where Trump will stand on stage, he may be able to see the giant Ferris wheel alit in neon colors in front of the Capitol.<\/p>\n

People are standing shoulder to shoulder filling up most of the lawn as the sun starts to set. Most have their phones out to record.<\/p>\n

Retired Navy SEAL recounts American \u2018will to win\u2019 its freedom<\/p>\n

Author and podcaster Jocko Willink walked attendees on the National Mall through the colonies\u2019 underdog fight against the British during the American Revolution.<\/p>\n

That victory, he said, \u201cunleashed a force which to this day has been completely unmatched in the world.\u201d He went on to enumerate hard-fought privileges including \u201cthe freedom to speak, to protest, to worship, the freedom to protect ourselves, our families and our property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something Willink didn\u2019t mention was the contribution of the French, whose military forces and funds helped make significant strides toward Britain\u2019s defeat.<\/p>\n

All about the flyovers<\/p>\n

Hattie Harris was visiting her uncle in northern Virginia when her niece who works on Capitol Hill told her of Wednesday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n

Harris, a Montessori teacher from Mesa, Arizona, had no idea what the program included \u2014 besides one thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came for the flyovers,\u201d she said. \u201cI will drop everything for flyovers.\u201d The military aircraft buff didn\u2019t even know Trump was expected to speak.<\/p>\n

At that moment, she pointed overhead and cried, \u201cLook!\u201d The stealth B-2 bomber cruised overhead, drowning out the U.S. Marine Corps Band.<\/p>\n

Asked her thoughts about the evening\u2019s featured speaker \u2014 after she learned it was Trump \u2014 Harris shrugged.<\/p>\n

First responders and victims of 9\/11 are remembered at rally<\/p>\n

The rally shifted from up-tempo pop performances to a more somber moment as Frank Siller, CEO of Tunnel to Towers, asked the crowd to remember firefighters and other first responders who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack.<\/p>\n

Siller\u2019s nonprofit was founded in honor of his brother, Stephen Siller, a New York firefighter who died on 9\/11.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I look out at this incredible gathering of families celebrating everything that makes this country so great, we must remember the extraordinary sacrifices of ordinary people,\u201d Frank Siller said.<\/p>\n

It was one of the first moments of the rally focused on important events in U.S. history.<\/p>\n

Trump is frustrated gasoline prices don\u2019t mirror oil\u2019s decline. Experts say it\u2019s not that simple<\/p>\n

U.S. gasoline prices decreased<\/a> an average of 49 cents a gallon in the last month as expectations rose for an end to the war with Iran. But they\u2019re not falling fast enough for Trump.<\/p>\n

Trump, who wants to stave off the economic fallout of the war ahead of<\/a> midterm elections, is now pointing at oil companies as the culprit. The president said on social media<\/a> early Wednesday that he had tasked the Justice Department with investigating whether \u201ccustomers are being \u2019gouged.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil,\u201d Trump wrote in a Truth Social post published just after midnight. \u201cGasoline prices better start going down a lot faster than what I\u2019m seeing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Crude oil is the main ingredient in gasoline, and its cost makes up the bulk of what consumers pay. Even after crude prices come down, it can take weeks or longer for market changes to reach consumers, experts said.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

The grassy area is starting to fill in<\/p>\n

About an hour before Trump\u2019s speech, the grassy area on the National Mall was about half full.<\/p>\n

The crowd cheered as the U.S. Marine Corps Band was drowned out temporarily as two fighter jets roared overhead.<\/p>\n

A chance to see the president<\/p>\n

Jacob Wankasky and his family, from Buffalo, New York, peeled off a day early from a trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, when he and his wife Jennifer realized they could see Trump before a planned visit Thursday to the State Fair with their children, ages 4 and 6.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that we can be here with our kids. It\u2019s a once in a lifetime chance,\u201d Wankasky said as his wife and children sat in the sun-splashed grass of the National Mall listening to the Marine Corps Band\u2019s rendition of \u201cStars and Stripes Forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unpurchasable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Wearing a bright red \u201cAmerica Is Back\u201d cap, Wankasky, a 42-year-old antique mall owner, said Trump\u2019s return to the White House was a relief in a time of \u201cinsanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if our country could have taken another four years of Biden or whoever,\u201d he said. Trump \u201cstopped a freight train.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some see the event as a chance for the country to come together<\/p>\n

While some on the National Mall traveled many hours to get there, Joe and Natalie Cox took the metro from Arlington, Virginia. They came \u201cout of curiosity and to mark an historic occasion,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

The couple said the event was an opportunity to take stock of \u201cthe necessary sea change\u201d that Trump\u2019s return to the White House represents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could hardly skip it,\u201d Natalie said. \u201cWe live 4 miles away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe, a retired Army officer and military contractor, and Natalie, who worked for 30 years at the Red Cross, suggested the events were a time for the country to come together.<\/p>\n

With Frankie Valli pouring from the stage speakers, Joe, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he approved of the war against Iran.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had to be done,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll be glad to no longer hear \u2018Death to America.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

VIPs are on chairs near the stage<\/p>\n

The lead-up to the program had very much the feel of an outdoor summer concert.<\/p>\n

The rows of chairs nearest to the stage filled up with VIPs, as the grass slowly populated with attendees sitting on blankets.<\/p>\n

All sorts of flag-themed outfits, from overalls to skirts and hats, were common, as well as the \u201cMake America Great\u201d hats that have become the unofficial uniform of Trump\u2019s political rallies going back a decade<\/p>\n

The scene at the National Mall ahead of Trump\u2019s rally<\/p>\n

Karen and Brian Ontrap drove more than 500 miles from northwest Ohio with their children, having planned the trip in January to celebrate the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary and, for some in the group, see Washington for the first time.<\/p>\n

The rally on the mall \u201cwas a bonus,\u201d said Karen Ontrap, a 51-year-old customer service representative for an aluminum casting company.<\/p>\n

Standing in the shade near the stage where Trump was to speak, she said the pair support the president \u201c100 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were among the early arrivals to the section of the National Mall that was cordoned off, with a concert-style stage festooned in U.S. flags at one end and a mock White House exterior at the other.<\/p>\n

Trump refuses to sign bipartisan housing bill into law. What does that mean for homebuyers, renters?<\/p>\n

A sprawling legislative package aimed at lowering the cost of housing and spurring more home construction won bipartisan approval from Congress<\/a> this week. But it hit a major roadblock<\/a> in becoming law: President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

The White House supported the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, but on Wednesday Trump canceled the signing ceremony for the bill, saying he would not sign the measure until Congress passes legislation that would require proof of citizenship<\/a> for all voters.<\/p>\n

The measure is the culmination of months of negotiations by lawmakers who combined dozens of bills meant to address how housing affordability for both renters and aspiring homeowners in the U.S. has grown increasingly out of reach for many Americans.<\/p>\n

The bill would reduce federal regulations, streamline environmental reviews, speed up the construction process and curb the influence of corporate landlords by limiting their ability to purchase single-family homes.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Pentagon restores mandatory flu shots for all recruits as boot camp outbreak sickens nearly 300<\/p>\n

The Pentagon said Wednesday that boot camps for all the military services are once again requiring the flu vaccination for all recruits after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the shot optional for the military<\/a> at the end of April.<\/p>\n

The development, confirmed to The Associated Press by a Pentagon official, comes amid a growing, weekslong, flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force\u2019s boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base that has sickened nearly 300 people. However, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not cleared for public release, maintained that the permission to mandate the vaccinations was unrelated to the outbreak.<\/p>\n

When Hegseth first announced the repeal of the flu vaccine mandate in April<\/a>, citing \u201cmedical autonomy\u201d and religious freedom, he allowed the services to ask for exceptions \u2014 or permission to keep the vaccine mandatory \u2014 within 15 days of the rollout.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Konstantin Toropin and Mike Stobbe<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Showing off the Trump flattery he\u2019s famous for, Rutte praises the president as tough on defense contactors<\/p>\n

The NATO chief said of the contractors: \u201cYou have been very harsh with them a couple of weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had one of them over in my office. He was still trembling,\u201d Rutte said. \u201cAnd I said, this is good. This is exactly what I need.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president has held a series of meetings with Pentagon officials and leading military contractors at the White House in recent days, discussing ways to increase munitions production after the war in Iran raised concerns about the U.S. eating into its stocks of missiles.<\/p>\n

Rutte met with Trump in the Oval Office and, as he usually does, praised Trump in hopes that he won\u2019t make good on threats to pull the U.S. out of NATO. <\/p>\n

Vance says he\u2019s working with the Pentagon to ensure Turkey can legally get F-35 jets<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are certain things that we have to certify have happened that have happened in order to comply with American law,\u201d the vice president said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re running the traps and confirming that it\u2019s happened. This is really a congressional thing and ensuring that Turkey has complied with American law so they can get the F-35s.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the Iran school strike, Trump says, \u2018I don\u2019t think it\u2019s gonna be us\u2019<\/p>\n

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the findings of a Pentagon investigation into a missile strike on an Iranian primary school on Feb. 28, the first day of the war with Iran, would be released \u201cwhen the appropriate time is right.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Trump said he\u2019s \u201cseen nothing to lead me to believe it was us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump called the incident \u201chorrible\u201d but said: \u201cI don\u2019t know that they\u2019re ever going to solve that problem in terms of whose fault was it, because there were missiles flying all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump says major oil companies are \u2018possibly gouging\u2019 on prices<\/p>\n

The president fleshed out his plans for a Justice Department investigation into why gasoline prices have not fallen as quickly as oil futures after the signing of an interim deal for talks to end the Iran war.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe oil companies are possibly gouging,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI hope they\u2019re not. Otherwise they\u2019re going to be in big trouble. They\u2019re going to be in big trouble. We\u2019re not going to play games.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president indicated that his targets for any inquiry would be some of the world\u2019s leading energy companies, including firms he has hosted at the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s ExxonMobil, it\u2019s Chevron, it\u2019s Shell, it\u2019s BP,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressed on what he wants NATO allies to do, Trump says: \u2018Just be loyal\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t need their money we don\u2019t need anything,\u201d the president said during his meeting with NATO\u2019s chief. \u201cWe have the most powerful military in the world by far. But I just want loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cWe\u2019re always fighting for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump has sharply criticized NATO and renewed his threats to leave the alliance after complaining that its members did not do enough to support the U.S. during the war with Iran.<\/p>\n

Trump says Zelenskyy is \u2018doing pretty well\u2019<\/p>\n

Calling Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> \u201ccourageous,\u201d the president also acknowledged ongoing losses among both Ukrainian and Russian forces in the war, now in its fifth year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s holding his own at least,\u201d Trump said. \u201cA lot of people dying on both sides, but I think he\u2019s doing pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s General Staff said Wednesday that its forces struck a major natural gas processing plant and two key satellite communications centers in the latest nighttime attacks on Russia.<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s aerial campaign<\/a> targeting energy facilities and military industries has intensified<\/a> as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons<\/a> to fight Russia\u2019s invasion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In response, Zelenskyy has said Moscow has ordered redeployment of some air defense systems from Russian regions to the capital and to Crimea\u2019s Kerch Bridge<\/a>, a crucial link for supplying Russian troops.<\/p>\n

Trump says he\u2019s only going to NATO summit in Turkey \u2018out of respect\u2019 for its host<\/p>\n

He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan phoned him and asked him to attend the defense alliance summit in the capital of Ankara in July.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018Please, I have it in Turkey. You got to be there. The United States has to be there,\u2019\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cAnd so I\u2019m going out of respect to President Erdogan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump said of Erdogan: \u201cI like him. He\u2019s a friend of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he was glad Turkey stayed out of the war with Iran.<\/p>\n

A reporter asked Trump if he would come to Turkey with a \u201cgift bag\u201d of fighter jets for Erdogan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so,\u201d Trump responded. \u201cI\u2019m going to probably do something that\u2019s going to make him very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

White House asks Congress for $87.6 billion for Iran war, aid to US farmers and responding to Ebola crisis<\/p>\n

The White House has formally requested the funding mostly to replenish the Pentagon after the war against Iran.<\/p>\n

It submitted the request to Congress at a politically difficult time, as a majority of lawmakers have objected to any further military action.<\/p>\n

The Office of Management and Budget sent the supplemental spending request Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump suggests that, until recently, visiting NATO chief would have been mugged in Washington<\/p>\n

Talking up his deployment of National Guard troops in the city, the president pointed to Rutte and said that had the NATO chief come two years ago, \u201cyou had a good chance of being mugged, although you\u2019re a very big guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would have mugged him up. They would have beaten the hell out of him,\u201d Trump said to laughs.<\/p>\n

He further suggested that going to dinner two years ago, Rutte might have been \u201crobbed when he got into the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president has bragged for months about troops dramatically lowering Washington\u2019s crime. Their presence has had little demonstrable effect on reducing the kinds of violent crime Trump warned Rutte about, however.<\/p>\n

As Rutte looks on, Trump takes 12-minute detour to talk about Reflecting Pool and crime<\/p>\n

Saying \u201csick people\u201d used razors and box cutters to slice portions of the lining, Trump said Wednesday that part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool would be drained again for repairs.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t sure if that would come before or after the July 4 holiday, during which thousands of people will be in the area.<\/p>\n

Trump said six people have been arrested over damage, which he characterized as a \u201c350-foot gash\u201d in the lining.<\/p>\n

The troubled $14-million-plus rehabilitation project<\/a> has become a visceral flashpoint over law enforcement, aesthetics and environmental concerns ahead of the country\u2019s 250th anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n

The century-old Reflecting Pool has been drained, painted and plagued with algae bloom<\/a>, with pieces of the new coating appearing to peel off the bottom.<\/p>\n

Trump asked about cancellation of housing bill signing<\/p>\n

Asked on Wednesday if he\u2019d be willing to work out a deal to get the housing bill signed, Trump pushed for the lowering of interest rates and also reiterated his push for a measure to introduce new voter identification requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cLower the interest rates, you can have all the housing you want,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Earlier Wednesday, Trump said he had called off a planned signing for a bipartisan measure to increase home construction until passage of the SAVE America Act.<\/p>\n

The cancellation was awkward for Capitol Hill Republicans, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who had just described the measure as a \u201creally important bill to lower housing costs\u201d before Trump called off the signing.<\/p>\n

Sanders says election results show voters reject \u2018establishment politics\u2019<\/p>\n

Bernie Sanders recently campaigned in New York alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Vermont senator said Tuesday\u2019s victories by Mamdani-backed candidates prove Americans are \u201csaying enough is enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want a government that represents ordinary people, not just the rich,\u201d he told reporters on Capitol Hill. \u201cThat\u2019s what last night was about. That\u2019s what we\u2019ve seen for the last number of months. I think you\u2019re going to continue to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from neighboring Connecticut, said voters are \u201cclearly telling us they want us to be bolder,\u201d but also cautioned against reading too much into the results.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, in New York, the mayor and AOC have enormous power inside the Democratic Party today,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure that election would reproduce itself; those results would reproduce themselves in every other state.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
President Donald Trump speaks at the opening of the Great American State Fair, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
People listen to speakers before President Donald Trump arrives at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
President Donald Trump waves from his motorcade vehicle as he arrives at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Carolyn Kaster)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Four F-35’s fly over the stage before President Donald Trump speaks at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump is on Washington\u2019s National Mall on Wednesday for a campaign-style rally that he hopes gets Americans excited about his presidency and the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations. The event comes after a day of tense meetings between Trump and Republicans in Congress over the Iran war, and a decision by a federal judge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":6306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"ca59b57f-2d43-4589-a1e8-1a6c80bab6eb","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"","published":"2026-06-24 05:36:55","updated":"2026-06-24 18:37:27","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1303,1292,1304],"tags":[],"region":[1442,1280,1282,1451,1301,1291],"class_list":["post-6286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-politics","category-world","region-brandon","region-canada","region-manitoba","region-mayo","region-world","region-yukon"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6286\/the-latest-crowd-gathers-on-the-national-mall-to-hear-trump-rally-for-america-250-kickoff\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Latest: Crowd gathers on the National Mall to hear Trump rally for America 250 kickoff","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6286\/the-latest-crowd-gathers-on-the-national-mall-to-hear-trump-rally-for-america-250-kickoff\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6286\/the-latest-crowd-gathers-on-the-national-mall-to-hear-trump-rally-for-america-250-kickoff\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-3323320d11fb524bc460d1c58eb5fd342dfaff6b315a417b068a598f537ee9d9.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-3323320d11fb524bc460d1c58eb5fd342dfaff6b315a417b068a598f537ee9d9.jpg"},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-06-24T12:36:55Z","datePublished":"2026-06-24T12:36:55Z","dateModified":"2026-06-25T01:45:07Z"},"rendered":"