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President Trump stuck to script when he kicked off the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on Wednesday as a part of the country’s 250th anniversary.
“Tonight, as we stand on the edge of our 250th year of independence, I am thrilled to declare that America is back,” Trump told a crowd of supporters.
Trump’s notably tame remarks at the fair came after more than half of the musical acts that were originally slated to perform at the event pulled out, with some saying they thought the event was overtly partisan.
The president announced late last month he would deliver remarks at the rally after the artists pulled out of the event.
Trump touched on a number of issues including the war in Iran, the economy, and his D.C. beautification projects.
The president also repeated his claim that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was vandalized.
“It’s been gruesomely vandalized by thugs, bad people, but soon we’ll be looking as beautiful as it looked just two weeks ago,” he said.
He mentioned the cleaned-up Christopher Columbus fountain outside Union Station, the cascading fountain at Meridian Hill Park and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that has received much attention.
“Since I took office, more than 50 monuments and memorials have been repaired and beautified,” he said. “Dozens of statues have been cleaned, and they look so nice.”
He said that he is “personally,” along with the Interior Department’s Doug Burgum and “some of my friends” are renovating Lafayette Square across from the White House.
On Iran, he praised the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the U.S. and Iran.
“Last week we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz, and accomplish what no president has ever been able to accomplish before: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, that’s done,” he said.
“For the first time in 3,000 years, we are finally going to have peace in the Middle East,” the president continued.
He also teased further military action.
“One week – Iran was essentially finished, in one hour – Venezuela was finished, and I guess we have other things in store, but we don’t want to get carried away,” Trump said.
The 16-day fair features over 150 U.S. history exhibits and represents every U.S. state and territory.
The fair is one of many events coming up celebrating the country’s anniversary in D.C., including the Patriot Games to showcase high school athletes and the Freedom 250 Grand Prix race.
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