President Donald Trump honored military veterans, praised America’s history and renewed his criticism of communism during his Independence Day address marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Speaking in Washington, D.C., after severe weather delayed the event and prompted a two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump delivered a speech that blended patriotic themes, historical tributes and political commentary.

The president paid tribute to generations of American service members, including World War II veterans, one of the first Black officers to lead a U.S. Special Forces team in combat during the Vietnam War, and William Harvey Carney, who escaped slavery to fight for the Union during the Civil War and later became the first Black American to receive the Medal of Honor.

Highlighting key moments in U.S. military history, Trump also pointed to recent American military operations carried out under his administration.

“You look at Venezuela, you look at Iran, we wiped it out, wiped out their military,” Trump said, comparing this year’s military action against Iran’s naval forces to the historic U.S. victory over the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War.

He added that the operation resulted in “the entire Iranian navy” being sunk “in just a moment’s time.”

Trump also repeated warnings about what he described as the growing threat of communism, echoing themes from remarks he delivered on the eve of Independence Day.

“Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world only to have that menace rear its ugly head right back here in America,” he said. “It’s like a cancer—you’ve got to cut it out.”

The president did not identify any specific political figures in those remarks, though his comments come amid heightened political debate ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

Throughout the address, Trump described the United States as entering a new “golden age,” emphasizing national strength, military achievements and the country’s enduring democratic traditions.

The speech concluded a day of celebrations commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, which featured patriotic events, tributes to military service and a fireworks display over the nation’s capital.