Trump to Speak at Salute to America 250 Event and Fireworks on National Mall

The Salute to America 250 Celebration and Fireworks is scheduled for this weekend on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Fox News reported that the White House described the event as one of the grandest displays of patriotism the world has ever seen.

More than one million people are expected to gather to hear President Donald Trump speak and watch what the White House called the largest pyrotechnics display in the history of the world.

Retired FBI supervisory special agent Jason Pack told Fox News Digital that agencies have likely been preparing and coordinating for the event for weeks or months. He stated it is a whole of government approach, not just one agency. Pack said he has not heard of any specific threats but noted that on the Fourth of July there is no doubt that someone would want to attack crowds.

Past attacks on holiday gatherings illustrate the risks. In 2022 Robert Crimo III opened fire on July Fourth parade-goers in Highland Park, Illinois, killing seven people and injuring 48 others; he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. In 2021 Darrell Edward Brooks Jr.

Drove an SUV into crowds at the Waukesha Christmas parade in Wisconsin, killing six people and injuring more than 60 others; he is serving six consecutive life sentences. In 2017 Sayfullo Saipov killed eight people and injured nearly 20 others by ramming a truck into crowds at a Halloween parade in New York City; he is serving eight life sentences in federal prison.

Pack said fusion centers in various cities help federal agencies and local police share threat-related information.