Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

In the 250 years since the US declared its independence from Great Britain, the nation has grown from a sparsely populated collection of settlements scattered along the Atlantic coast into a global power spread over the breadth of a continent and beyond.

Starting from the original 13 colonies that covered 430,000 sq miles (1.1 million sq km), its geographic footprint has increased eightfold, to approximately 3.7 million sq miles.

The US population has undergone a similarly dramatic expansion. In 1790, the year of the first US Census, there were approximately four million Americans, including slaves. By 2025, this number had grown to 343 million – an 8,475% increase.

Even though the US today may be all but unrecognisable to the nation's founders 250 years ago, the cultural and political influences in the country would likely be familiar.

In hindsight, one can trace many of President Donald Trump's key political promises - limiting immigration, and expanding US power and territory - to the country's earliest distinctions and divisions.

Read my full analysis here.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Earlier today, we reported that members of the Patriot Front white supremacist group were in Washington, where they were seen at various points throughout the city.

They now appear to have left the immediate area around the celebrations, with Reuters reporting that they boarded Washington's subway system and left for New Carrolton, a suburb of the city in nearby Prince George's County, Maryland.

It is unclear where they have gone or whether they have dispersed once arriving there.

Reuters reported that about 400 members of the group were in the city, with hundreds visible at various points.

Videos posted to social media and the group's own Telegram channel showed the masked, uniformed members marching to drummers near the Capitol and Union Station, the city's main passenger rail hub.

The group was founded in 2017 following violence at the "Unite the Right" rally in Virginia, breaking off from another group.

Image source, Reuters

Jonathan Csapo
BBC Producer, reporting from Washington

With patience wearing already thin from the 40C (104F) temperatures outside, the announcement that a metro station on the National Mall was temporarily closed brought groans and shouts of anger from patrons trapped inside.

Throngs of would-be spectators lined both sides of the subway platform and watched trains pass by - seemingly trapped and with the possibility of missing tonight’s festivities hanging in the air.

Station managers refused to let anyone exit because the National Mall was “full”. After a half hour the station reopened - and passengers were greeted by lines wrapping around blocks for the next part of their 4th of July adventure - the Secret Service checkpoints.

Image source, Reuters

US President Donald Trump gave a patriotic speech at an iconic monument to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary.

Trump visited Mount Rushmore National Memorial - the massive sculpture where former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln have been carved directly into a rocky hillside - on Friday to pay tribute to the country's birthday.

During his speech Trump described how the former presidents "could only be made in the USA" and said that they had gathered at the mountain to express gratitude to the leaders who made the US the "most successful nation ever".

Trump has previously made comments about how his face should also be carved into the stone on Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills in South Dakota, and has even shared AI generated images of his head attached to the sculpture.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

In backyards across the US, hot dogs are being grilled as part of Independence Day tradition.

In New York's Coney Island, however, it's a serious business - the annual hot dog eating contest has taken place and there are two very familiar winners.

Joey Chestnut won the men's category - his 18th title in the contest, which was first held in 1972. This year, Chestnut downed 66 hot dogs in 10 minutes, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner - beating second place winner, Patrick Bertoletti, who ate 51.

In the women's competition, Miki Sudo finished 38 and three-quarters of a hot dog to claim her 12th title. Michelle Lesco came in second place with 22 hot dogs.

Image source, Reuters

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, Getty Images

I've just arrived at the White House - which is surprisingly empty despite the wall-to-wall coverage of the July 4 celebrations on American media.

There are only a handful of reporters here, primarily from the outlets that staff the White House permanently or from the outlets that are in the daily press pool - which today includes the BBC.

Security was not abnormal for a large-scale event. The area on the north side of the White House is blocked off to pedestrians, extra black fencing has gone up, and garbage trucks and police cars are blocking nearby streets.

The set-up is similar to what we see when a high-profile visitor - such as Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - come to visit, or when large protests are planned in the city.

The streets on this side of the White House are largely empty, except for handfuls of tourists stopping to watch the flyovers, including a US Navy F/A-18 just moments ago.

Ben Rich
Lead Weather Presenter

All day, we’ve been reporting on the hazardous heat and humidity that’s affecting 4 July celebrations across the east of the USA, but now an additional hazard is approaching – the threat of thunderstorms.

Over the last couple of hours, radar imagery has shown a big cluster of thunderstorms developing just west of Washington DC – and we’re expecting these to drift across the city imminently.

These could contain frequent lightning, some large hail, and be accompanied by some very squally winds.

Storms are also erupting across some other eastern parts of the country including Pennsylvania – and there’s a chance these could threaten the World Cup match between Paraguay and France, which is currently under way.

Sunday will bring more widespread thunderstorms and heavy downpours in the eastern USA, with the risk of flash flooding and weekend travel headaches.

Image source, Corbis via Getty Images

The last major anniversary the US celebrated was back in 1976 - and its 200th birthday.

President Gerald Ford led celebrations that time around. The occasion came on the back of a political crisis following the Watergate scandal that forced President Richard Nixon to resign.

To mark the country's 200th birthday, Ford delivered a speech in Philadelphia - considered the "birthplace of America" - and attended a series of activities leading up to 4 July, 1976.

The White House hosted special visitors from across the pond too - the late Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip.

Image source, Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Poll/Getty Images

All four living former US presidents have shared messages as the nation marks its 250th anniversary.

President Joe Biden, the immediate past president, recalls the premise of the Declaration of Independence that all people are created equal.

"We chose that path 250 years ago but that’s where the work began, not where it ended," he says before warning that the nation's promise of equality for all was still a work in progress.

"We still haven't fully lived up to those words in the Declaration. But we've never walked away from them, and this July 4, I hope all of us can commit to one thing: that we never will."

The country's first Black president, Barack Obama, hasreshared excerpts of a recent speech he made at the opening of his presidential museum last month in which he talks about the nation's founding and shared values.

"There's more to do to fulfil the nation's founding ideals," he says, adding that "every generation must take up the unfinished work of the last and carry it further - protecting what’s right, fixing what’s wrong, and making our union a little more perfect."

The 43rd president George W. Bush says that "the next 250 years require Americans to be citizens, not spectators". Americans need to "take an active interest in the health and welfare of our country and the communities in which they live", he adds.

His predecessor Bill Clinton used his congratulatory anniversary message to also comment on the state of US politics today.

"Today, we celebrate this milestone amid another period of deep division, renewed questions about America's future and role in the world, and serious threats to our own institutions and to our democracy itself," the 42nd president said.

The Red Arrows have joined a flypast over New York to mark 250 years of American independence.

The RAF aerobatic team trailed red, white and blue smoke - arranged to depict the US flag - above the Hudson River, with Manhattan's skyscrapers providing a spectacular backdrop.

Wing Cdr Jon Bond, who led the team's formation, says: "Flying over New York, surrounded by so many iconic landmarks and famous locations on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of American independence, is a huge honour."

He adds the invitation underlines the "enduring relationship" between the UK and US.

"It has been fantastic to bring the Red Arrows' signature red, white and blue colours to this special occasion and celebrate the 4th of July with the American people and all those watching."

The Red Arrows - based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire - are carrying out a month-long tour of the United States to mark America 250.

Saturday's flypast involved more than 150 other aircraft from around the world.

You can read more about the flyover in our story here.

Eliot Stein
BBC Travel

Image source, Serenity Strull / Getty Images

Nicknamed "The Birthplace of America", Philadelphia is where the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago today.

However, almost no one knows that the site of this historic moment was once Swedish.

This is the story of the US's long-lost colony, a Swedish settlement that once spread from Maryland to New Jersey and helped shape the future of the country to come.

"It started as sort of secret colony," says Deborah-Jean Hoffman of the New Sweden Centre.

"The Swedes weren't flag-planting like the French or the Spanish. The idea was to create an under-the-radar colony where the Dutch wouldn't see them," she adds.

• You can read more about the history of the smallest, least-populated and shortest-lived European colony in the US here

Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

For some, today will be remembered not just as a milestone anniversary but as the day they officially became citizens of the United States.

A naturalisation ceremony at the Mount Vernon estate welcomed new members into the fold as they took the oath of allegiance; promising to, among other things, obey and defend the US constitution against foreign and domestic enemies and to bear arms for the nation if required by law.

The location for the ceremony is especially notable. The Mount Vernon estate was the private residence and slave plantation of first US President George Washington and is located just outside the US capital, which is named in his honour.

Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

Ben Rich
Lead Weather Presenter

Temperatures have been climbing across the east of the US, with Washington DC climbing above 100F (38C) by 15:00 EDT (20:00 BST). In Baltimore it’s even hotter, with the thermometer hitting 104F (40C).

New York City is slightly less hot: it’s around 92F (33C) in Central Park right now. But it’s still very humid so the heat index – what it actually feels like - is closer to 100F (38C).

This humidity is an important part of what is making this heatwave so brutal and dangerous as it makes it harder for humans to cool down through sweating.

In dry air our sweat is able to evaporate easily, taking energy away from our bodies in the process. Humid air contains more moisture, meaning our sweat evaporates far less effectively.

The advice from the US National Weather Service for those affected by extreme heat is to avoid heavy activity and direct sunlight, stay hydrated and to find a cool indoor place – perhaps easier said than done for those taking part in the 4 July celebrations.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

We've just heard from Donald Trump on Truth Social, where he directly addresses the sweltering weather that the US capital is experiencing.

"Despite the heat, which isn't as bad as predicted, the crowds in DC are incredible," he writes. "The love of our country has never been stronger."

He also addresses the aerial flyovers, which he describes as "at a level never seen before", as well as his remarks later and the Reflecting Pool, which he says "looks great" despite "vandal thugs" he claims defaced it.

It's still about 101F (38C) outside in DC.

Ahead of the event, various US outlets reported that the celebration's organisers and the White House were concerned that the high temperatures might prompt many would-be attendees to stay home.

Trump, it should be noted, has long been preoccupied with crowd sizes, on which he frequently comments.

This stretches back as far as his first inauguration in 2017, when the size of the crowd became the source of considerable debate.

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Reporting from Washington

Washington DC is already facing extreme heat conditions that have severely impacted some activities to celebrate the 250th anniversary. It's currently 101F (38C) but the feels-like temperature is 104F (40C).

Now, the National Weather Service has issued a "severe thunderstorm watch" advisory that could further complicate tonight's main events. "Frequent lightning possible," the advisory says.

The advisory is in place until 22:00 local time (3:00 BST) for now and US President Donald Trump is due to lead the anniversary's ceremony later tonight. He is scheduled to speak at around 21:45 local time followed by a mammoth fireworks display.

Already, some areas in the capitol region have cancelled some planned events. The city of Annapolis has cancelled its Independence Day Parade and a concert. A pyrotechnics display will go ahead but may be delayed, its emergency services department says.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier today, a time capsule was buried near Independence Hall in Philadelphia to mark the the US' 250th birthday.

The plan is for it to be re-opened in exactly 250 years' time - on 4 July, 2276.

Included in the capsule are a diamond mined in Alaska, poems from several different states, a set of gambling chips from Nevada and a vial of sand from New Mexico.

A print off of the answer California-based Claude AI gave when asked to predict what California would be like in 2276 is also inside.

"There is something profoundly humbling about this task," said America 250's executive vice president Jennifer Condon at the event.

"Most of us spend our lives looking back, to honour those that came before, or looking ahead to tomorrow's challenges... but today asks us to image Americans that we will never meet."

Nearly 750,000 people are without power in the east of the US as the country continues to experience extreme weather.

Over 350,000 homes are without power in Michigan while other 150,000 have been affected in New Jersey, according to tracker Power Outage.

Energy company DTE says that severe weather, including winds of over 60mph (97kmph), in Michigan on Friday evening caused widespread power outages.

Other states which are affected include Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Wisconsin.

Image source, Getty Images

Events are taking place in living rooms and stadiums across the United States as the country celebrates its 250th birthday.

Fireworks, flyovers and a "really long" speech from US President Donald Trump are all part of the plans.

Here's a reminder of some of the biggest celebrations taking place in the US to mark its 250th anniversary:

• Military flyovers have been taking place in Washington DC since 13:15 local time (18:15 BST) and are set to continue well past sunset - one is expected to include Trump's new Air Force One
• Trump will head to Washington DC's National Mall for the Freedom 250 celebrations, where he has promised to deliver a "really long speech" despite the ongoing heatwave. The "world's largest fireworks display" will follow Trump's speech, organisers say

• Musicians will be performing across the US as part of the celebrations including: Ne-Yo and Mary J Blinge in New York City's Times Square, The Smashing Pumpkins and Chaka Khan in Los Angeles and Christina Aguilera and Will Smith in Philadelphia
• A special flyover will take place over Philadelphia Stadium before France's match against Paraguay in the football World Cup at 17:00 local time (22:00 BST)
• As part of the America 250 celebrations communities across the country are taking part in "America's Block Party" and hosting local gatherings

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

It's a scorching hot day in Washington DC, where temperatures are currently sitting at a toasty 98.6F (37C).

The streets seem empty, and the only sign that today is July 4th that I've noticed is the extremely loud roar of military aircraft participating in a seemingly endless flyover, for a second day in a row.

For President Trump, it's so far been a relatively quiet day, with only a few Truth Social posts.

Partly, this is likely because he only arrived back to the White House at about 04:00 local time (09:00 BST) this morning following his trip to Mount Rushmore yesterday.

We will, however, see him later. He's expected to head down to the celebrations in the evening and deliver remarks at approximately 21:45 local time (02:45 BST).

Trump has billed tonight as a "spectacular" rally and promised a "really long" speech, despite the warm weather.

I'll be tagging along with the president when he leaves the White House later and we will be bringing you updates throughout the course of the celebration.

Trump inserts himself into the centre of America's birthday celebrationspublished at 19:14 BST

19:14 BST

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump frequently has reflected on how his four-year break from the presidency means that he now is serving a second term during historic national events.

This includes the current World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and today's celebrations for the US' 250th birthday.

The last of these, with its red-white-and-blue pageantry dripping with patriotic pride, seems to be of particular interest to the president.

While the US Congress established an "America 250" commission to oversee the celebrations a decade ago, Trump-backed groups formed a competing, privately funded "Freedom 250" committee to host their own events.

The current list includes the state fair on the National Mall, a UFC fight at the White House, an IndyCar Grand Prix through the streets of Washington and what Trump is billing as the world's largest fireworks display later today.

The president frequently boasts of these events on social media - including through AI-generated images of him waving a green flag to kick off the street race, and standing in front of an octagon fighting ring by the White House, flanked by lightning.

• Read more analysis in Anthony Zurcher's blog here