Trump Denounces Communism, Vows American 'Golden Age' in Storm-Delayed July 4 Speech

Chosin Reservoir survivors brought on stage during Korean War tribute

Outdoor speech delayed by 39C heat and thunderstorm evacuations

President Donald Trump used an outdoor speech marking the 250th anniversary of American independence to denounce communism and place military veterans at the center of the event.

AFP and other media reported that Trump, speaking late on July 4 at the "Salute to America" Independence Day celebration on Washington's National Mall, said the US "will never be a communist country" and called communism "a loser, and it always will be."

The remarks echoed the ideological message he delivered a day earlier in a speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

During the roughly 40-minute address, Trump recognized veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

He introduced two Korean War veterans on stage: Marine Corps Cpl. Pat Finn and Pfc. Rudy Mikkins, survivors of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, one of the harshest battles in US military history.

"Tonight we remember the warriors who fought at Chosin Reservoir in Korea," Trump said. "That was a rough one."

The Battle of Chosin Reservoir lasted from Nov. 27 to Dec. 11, 1950. In that operation, the 1st Marine Division and other US forces broke through an encirclement by seven Chinese divisions north of the reservoir in South Hamgyong Province and withdrew to Hungnam.

US forces suffered more than 17,000 casualties, including those killed, missing or lost to non-combat causes.

Trump recounted Finn's hand-to-hand fight with five enemy soldiers and said Mikkins continued the operation despite being wounded four times. He also recognized Korean War veteran Sonny Ray, a Silver Star recipient, calling the men extraordinary heroes who fought heroically.

He also paid tribute to Ken Shuebring, a 104-year-old retired Army captain who witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor, and retired Col. Paris D. Davis, a Medal of Honor recipient from the Vietnam War.

Trump used the 250th anniversary to declare what he described as a national resurgence.

Addressing the crowd, he said that 250 years later, "the spirit of 1776 is still alive and well in all of us." He added that the moment marked "the beginning of America's golden age" and vowed to lift the country "to heights never reached before" for "our country, our children and our freedom."

The event was disrupted by extreme weather in Washington. A nearby parade was canceled as temperatures hit 39C, and spectators rushed to nearby museums and government buildings after storm and thunderstorm warnings were issued shortly before the speech.

Trump took the stage at 11:15 p.m., later than scheduled because of the weather, and pressed ahead with the address. "There is no way to make us give up," he said.

Park Sang-kyung, Hankyung.com reporter highseoul@hankyung.com