In Pictures

In Pictures: Sombre July 4 celebrations in US

US marks unusually quiet Independence Day, with Trump railing against protesters demanding racial justice.

epaselect epa08528245 Members of the US Navy Blue Angels and US Army Thunderbirds fly over the White House during the Fourth of July ''Salute to America'' event in Washington, D.C., USA, 04 July 2020. T — Trump pushed forward with his planned Fourth of July celebration, even as many officials urged the public to stay home and avoid gathering in large crowds due to the rising coronavirus pandemic. [Samuel Corum/EPA]

The United States has marked an unusually sombre Independence Day, with President Donald Trump bashing domestic opponents and China – but praising the country’s coronavirus response, despite a record surge in cases.

Instead of adopting a unifying tone, Trump, facing a tough re-election and eager to mobilise his political base, railed against protesters demanding racial justice after unarmed African American George Floyd was killed by a white police officer.

“We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators the looters,” Trump said during a White House event on Saturday.

Some of the US leader’s sharpest words were for the media, which he accused of a campaign to smear opponents as racists.

“The more you lie, the more you slander, the more you try to demean and divide, the more we will work hard to tell the truth and we will win,” Trump said, with four months to go until the election.

Across the country, virus fears dampened or cancelled Main Street parades, back yard barbecues and family reunions on a day when Americans typically celebrate their 1776 declaration of independence from Britain.

Trump’s challenger in November, Democrat Joe Biden, struck a sharply different tone, tweeting: “Our nation was founded on a simple idea: We’re all created equal. We’ve never lived up to it – but we’ve never stopped trying. This Independence Day, let’s not just celebrate those words, let’s commit to finally fulfill them.”

Trump’s divisive address came as popular beaches on both coasts, normally packed on July 4, were closed as California and Florida suffer alarming surges in COVID-19 infections.

The US virus death toll is fast approaching 130,000, roughly one-quarter of the world’s total.

epa08528265 Military aircrafts fly over the White House during the Fourth of July ''Salute to America'' event in Washington, D.C., USA, 04 July 2020. Trump pushed forward with his planned Fourth of July — Military aircraft fly over the White House during the Fourth of July 'Salute to America' event in Washington. [Samuel Corum/EPA]

epa08528272 US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend the Fourth of July ''Salute to America'' event in Washington, D.C., USA, 04 July 2020. Trump pushed forward with his planned Fou — Trump bashed domestic opponents and China, and praised the country's coronavirus response despite a record surge in cases. [Samuel Corum/EPA]

Guests wait for a "Salute to America" event to start and President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on the South Lawn of the White House, Saturday, July 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patr — Guests wait for a Salute to America event to start. Some of the US leader's sharpest words were for the media, which he accused of a campaign to smear opponents as racists. [Patrick Semansky/AP Photo]

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 04: An anti-Trump activist speaks at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House July 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. Anti-Trump activists rallied on Independence Day to voice their — An anti-Trump activist speaks at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House. [Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP]

Protesters burn American flags during a protest in front of Trump Tower, Saturday, July 4, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez) — Trump, facing a tough re-election and eager to mobilise his political base, railed against protesters demanding racial justice after unarmed African American George Floyd was killed by a white police officer. [Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP Photo]

People watch fireworks explode near Washington Monument as seen from the South Lawn of the White House during the 2020 "Salute to America" event in honor of Independence Day in Washington, DC, July 4, — Fireworks displays are typically a high point of the holiday, but an estimated 80 percent of the events were cancelled this year. [Saul Loeb/AFP]

epa08528350 The White House is lit up in red, white, and blue, following the Fourth of July ''Salute to America'' event in Washington, D.C., USA, 04 July 2020. Trump pushed forward with his planned Four — The White House is lit up in red, white and blue following the Fourth of July 'Salute to America' event in Washington. [Stefani Reynolds/Pool/EPA]