Trump to give 'really long' July 4th speech despite heat wave

[0:00] CNN has learned there is growing concern in the White House about President Trump's 4th of July [0:05] speech and how many people will attend. The insanely hot temperatures in D.C. is one issue [0:10] for sure. But there are also new videos showing some sparse crowds showing up for the Great [0:16] American State Fair set up on the National Mall, which is also sparking concern. I want to play [0:21] for you what the president said yesterday about his upcoming speech. On July 4th, it's going to [0:29] be approximately 107 degrees out. And I'm going to go and I'm going to make a really long [0:35] speech just to show that I can do anything. It's going to be 107. [0:43] CNN's Adam Kankren has much more reporting on this. What are you learning about all this? [0:49] Yeah, well, the president's right. It's certainly going to be hot. And that's just one of the [0:52] challenges that we may see over the weekend that we have seen over the past week and a [0:56] half of this celebration across D.C. This was supposed to be really a marquee moment for [1:02] President Trump, something he talked about since even before he was elected, he gets to preside [1:07] over the America's 250th birthday. All of these celebrations, both here in D.C. and around the [1:12] country. And instead, we've seen it just kind of become the latest series of challenges for this [1:18] administration. So take the Great American State Fair as an example. We've seen this on the [1:22] mall over the last week. And when CNN's been down there, the crowds have been pretty sparse, [1:28] owing to a few different reasons. One, the temperatures, it's just hot out there. Secondly, [1:34] there's not enough, really, a ton of shade. You can't bring chairs into the state fair. You can't [1:39] bring bottled water or food. And the programming has been kind of inconsistent. The state booths we've [1:46] gone to, some have been great. You know, Arizona, as an example, has been really built out, [1:52] attracted a lot of people. Others have been pretty lackluster. One of the complications that we [1:58] saw this past, yesterday, was that the air conditioning in some of them broke. And when [2:03] it's this hot out, that's not just not something that people are going to be able to go to and [2:07] enjoy. Now, the one thing that is really kind of creating some issues and concerns in the White [2:14] House is this upcoming speech on July 4th for the president. If you remember, about a week ago, [2:18] he gave another speech on the mall. The crowd was not huge. And when the president saw an aerial [2:24] photo of it, sources told CNN that he became infuriated, that he was very upset about the [2:30] size of the crowd. And that has fed this kind of angst that has come into July 4th weekend, [2:35] that again, the crowd for his really big July 4th, 250 speech is going to be underwhelming, [2:42] owing to both the temperatures and also the late hour of the speech. We're expecting a full day of [2:49] events leading up to Trump's speech and then fireworks afterward that could be pushing midnight. [2:55] One White House official told CNN, quote, I do not understand why we're doing this so late. [3:01] I'm not really sure who thought that this was a good idea. Now, as for Trump, he has insisted that [3:07] he's unbothered by all of this. You heard that soundbite. He said, you know, quote, just to show I [3:13] can do anything. I'm going to go really long. We'll see how this all plays out on Saturday. [3:17] More than 180 million people are under a level three or four heat risk, according to the National [3:24] Weather Service. Over the next few days, temperatures could climb into the mid-90s to low [3:28] 100s, with humidity pushing feels-like temperatures as high as 110 degrees. CNN's Tom Foreman is on the [3:37] National Mall, where thousands are expected to gather this weekend for the 4th. [3:40] July, this could, Tom, this could be the hottest Independence Day the nation's Capitol has ever [3:46] recorded. How are D.C. officials preparing? Well, with two different messages, for one thing. [3:54] Local officials in particular are pointing out that this is an extreme heat warning, and they're [3:58] telling people, you've got to get water. You've got to be unshaded, at least air conditioning if you [4:03] can. You can't expose yourself to this very long. And they're pointing in some ways, like to the [4:08] visitors here at the Great American State Fair events here, because a lot of these people are out [4:12] in the sun, and it's only going to get hotter. In fact, some of the exhibits today, they've had [4:17] intermittent power problems. They lost their air conditioning today so much that the workers [4:21] there simply left their stations and said, fend for yourself, tourists, as best you can. [4:26] Different message from the administration, though. They've been very troubled by the anemic showing [4:30] of people here. Not that many people. They've been troubled by the embarrassment of what's [4:34] happened with the reflecting pool down the way, and they really want to have a lot more people [4:39] out, especially for the 4th. But a big challenge there, too. Security is going to be at the level [4:45] of an inaugural event, which means more roads closed, more blockages for pedestrians, more waits. [4:52] And by the way, Jake, the fireworks are not expected to go until maybe 11 o'clock at night. [4:57] That's more time waiting in the heat. America is gearing up, as you know, to celebrate its 250th [5:04] birthday. Seen here, President Trump's Great American State Fair on the National Mall ahead [5:09] of the July 4th holiday. It's just one of several events the president has planned to mark America's [5:14] big anniversary. And as Jeff Zeleny reports, Trump is making sure that he remains at the [5:20] center of celebrations. [5:21] He flew on his new plane. And for the first time as president, he rode on a train. [5:30] Donald Trump is making a splash heading into Independence Day, a celebration of America's [5:35] 250th anniversary, and himself. [5:38] On July 4th, it's going to be approximately 107 degrees out. [5:44] And I'm going to go and I'm going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything. [5:50] He visited the Badlands of North Dakota today, his motorcade escorted by Rough Riders on horseback. [5:58] He toured the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, seeing tributes to the 26th president [6:03] and offering himself one. [6:05] It's a part of the country that I love, and I think they love me because I have the all-time [6:11] record in presidential voting. [6:14] This year-long grand celebration of America has often felt like more of a presidential vanity [6:19] project, placing the Trump imprint far beyond the normal trappings of the office. [6:24] While the president has long wrapped himself in the flag, quite literally during this memorable [6:30] moment at a conservative gathering in his first term, America 250 has taken things to [6:35] a new Trumpian high. [6:37] He commandeered planning for the celebrations, bypassing the bipartisan America 250 organization [6:43] enacted by Congress a decade ago, in favor of Freedom 250, a separate group he and his allies [6:50] control. [6:51] His renovation projects have spouted up across Washington, and his face now adorns many government [6:57] buildings. [6:59] At this moment of American history, Trump is placing himself at the center of it all, to [7:04] the delight of his admirers like Tiffany Bullgreen, who came from Fargo to see him today. [7:09] Best president in the world of our time, and what he's stood up for and what he's done [7:15] for this country and what he's been up against, I mean, the man is incredible. [7:19] From a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House, to a visit Friday to Mount Rushmore, [7:26] reprising the stop he made in 2020. [7:28] There could be no better place to celebrate America's independence. [7:32] Trump's handling of the semi-quincentennial is a far cry from the nation's bicentennial [7:39] in 1976, when President Gerald Ford took pains to remove partisan politics from an American [7:45] celebration. [7:46] In his autobiography, A Time to Heal, Ford wrote, [7:49] Trump has taken the opposite approach, making himself the star of the show. [8:02] Yet as the weekend finale approaches, the modest attendance at the Great American State Fair [8:06] is sparking anxiety inside the White House. [8:08] Then on July 4th, we will have the greatest show of all on the National Mall. [8:14] Your favorite president will be speaking, so please show up. [8:18] The president's words offered a telling window into one of his biggest fears, a small crowd. [8:24] Because if we have two empty seats, you know what's going to happen? [8:26] The fake news is going to say he didn't fill out the arena. [8:30] Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Medora, North Dakota.