Trump invokes God, slams communism at US 250th birthday celebrations

US President Donald Trump used a speech late Friday evening marking the 250th anniversary of the United States to warn his compatriots against communist ideology, painting a picture of the US as a nation rooted in faith.

Speaking before supporters in the US state of South Dakota, with the famous Mount Rushmore as a backdrop on the eve of Independence Day, Trump said: "You can be a communist, or you can be a patriot."

Trump has increasingly used the term "communism" in recent times to attack left-wing domestic opponents and their positions.

Trump also cast the United States as a nation that looked to God: "Our rights here given to us by the God who made us, and those rights shall not be infringed."

The 80-year-old added: "No other country has done more good for this world than the United States of America."

He stressed that English was spoken in the US because it was the language of the Founding Fathers, without mentioning that very large numbers of people in the US also speak Spanish.

Mount Rushmore is world-famous for its presidential monument, featuring the carved heads of George Washington, the first president, Thomas Jefferson, the third president, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president and Abraham Lincoln the 16th president.

It was not the first time Trump had used the Mount Rushmore national monument as a backdrop. Six years ago, on Independence Day itself, he gave a speech there rallying sentiment against participants in a nationwide protest movement against racism.

Saturday is the high point of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of its independence from Britain. A huge fireworks display is planned for late in the evening in Washington, to be set off from multiple locations.

Events are planned across the country, with major celebrations taking place in cities including New York, Boston and Los Angeles. In the capital, Washington, festivities begin with an Independence Day parade along the National Mall in the morning, followed by a day of commemorative events.

Fighter jets repeatedly roared over the heads of Washington residents on Friday, and more flights are expected on Saturday, with organizers saying more than 30 flypasts are planned.

Air Force One, the government's official aircraft, is scheduled to join the spectacle, flying alongside US bombers above the capital.

One dampener on the mood for many: The US capital has been sweltering under scorching heat of around 40 degrees Celsius for days.

Trump is undeterred: "I'm going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything." His appearance is scheduled for 9:45 pm (0145 GMT on Sunday).

Alongside the president's speech, the evening programme includes a fireworks display that is set to break a world record, with 850,000 fireworks to be released at 10 locations over roughly 40 minutes.

A large parade in the city had already been called off for the morning due to the extreme heat.

Trump is currently under intense domestic political pressure. The Iran war in particular has drawn widespread opposition across the country.

His approval ratings have been low for some time, and many US voters are war-weary even as the US government invokes a warrior ethos. The president has stepped up his public appearances around the 250th anniversary celebrations in recent days, using his speeches to highlight what he sees as the successes of his second term.

Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, when the 13 American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.