‘America is BACK!’ Freedom 250 celebrations kick off with roaring address from President Trump

By 1:00 pm at Madison Drive on the National Mall, supporters had gathered to secure prime seats for the President’s address, despite the President’s official schedule confirming he would not be in attendance until 8:30 pm at the earliest. As a line formed rapidly, it became clear that security was stretched thin, and doors were eventually opened at 4:00pm.

National Guardsmen lined the streets on approach to the gates, with Secret Service clearing the area of parked vehicles just before doors opened. Security was lacklustre around the perimeter of the event, with open lines, gates and no crowd control. “It’s really a free for all,” one attendee anxiously observed. Moments later, news organizations arrived to poll the crowd on their thoughts surrounding the State Fair, while vendors seized on the fanfare by promoting Freedom 250 memorabilia.

A line begins to form outside the entrance for The Great American State Fair

Massive crowds were slow to form at first, but by the time doors had opened, long lines snaked far down the street. “It’s just so amazing to be able to come together after months, and years, of polarization in our country,” Anya Powell, a software engineer from Rhode Island told The Post Millennial. As doors began to open, excitement reached a fever pitch, and moments of solidarity shone through when multiple attendees, feeling faint, were assisted by friends, family and event staff as the sun blazed down on the crowd. Food trucks opened for service and background music played.

B-2 bomber jets fly over the crowd

As the event kicked off, a stunning display of American military might began with a flyover of B-2 bomber jets and F16 planes, as country music singer and girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, Alexis Wilkins, performed for the crowd, and the Marine Corps Band played "Stars and Stripes Forever."

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Lee Greenwood then took to the stage with a rendition of his classic song, "God Bless the USA," which served as the walkout for President Trump. Education Department appointee Ryan Steeghs was amazed by the display, saying that this could "only have been pulled off under the current administration, which is an honor to serve."

President Trump begins his address to the 45,000-strong crowd

“There has never been anything like the United States of America, and together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before,” Trump said as he arrived on stage. ”Nobody's laughing at us anymore."

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He ended the speech on a celebratory note, proclaiming, “America is BACK!... we will be a nation that dares to dream and to build again,” and predicting, “the United States will

have an economic boom, the likes of which no nation has ever seen before.”

"We are the ones carrying forward the light of Western civilization, because this is the very beginning of the Golden Age,” he added. “The best is yet to come!"

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Additional reporting by Avery Hill.