This year’s Fourth of July fireworks show on the National Mall is the first such event to be designated a “National Special Security Event,” which requires the kind of screening procedures and police presence usually reserved for presidential inaugurations and Super Bowls. It’s a reflection of the logistical complexity and anticipated crowd size of America’s 250th birthday party, but also, unfortunately, its potential appeal to attackers at a time of rising threats.
President Trump has promoted the event as “THE LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY,” and the NSSE designation puts the Secret Service in charge of planning and protecting it. On a day when temperatures are forecast to be in or near the triple digits, getting in may be more like going through an airport than going to a party. That’s not least because the president has placed himself at the center of the festivities and has plans to give “a really long speech just to show that I can do anything.”
Security and intelligence agencies routinely monitor for specific threats against high-profile events, but Secret Service, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security officials told us they are not tracking any specific, credible threats targeting the July 4 event. You’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise while walking around downtown Washington, D.C., in recent days. The normally wide-open expanse at the city’s heart has been ringed with security fences for weeks, ahead of World Cup–viewing parties, the Great American State Fair, and the 250th event on July 4. “I’ve lived here most of my life, and I’ve never seen it look like this on the Mall,” Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters on Monday.
As is customary, federal agencies do not comment on the number of security personnel they plan to deploy, but the Trump administration has already mobilized thousands of National Guard troops in Washington. Tara McLeese, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Washington field office, told reporters this week that in addition to hundreds of federal agents and officers visibly on duty, a variety of unseen resources “will be used to disrupt any bad actor.”
McLeese said that “there is no area in the country where law enforcement is better prepared and works closer together.” The security agencies’ coordinated plan, she said, “will ensure the safety of our protectees and the tens of thousands of Americans who will be there to enjoy a momentous day in our history.”
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, told us that the volume of threats that his agency is monitoring overall “has never been higher.” Threat reports requiring Secret Service investigation so far this year have increased 40 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the agency. Security officials say there has been a particular uptick in threats from “nihilistic violent extremists,” many of whom aim to use violence against law-enforcement personnel or symbols of government.
[Read: The glorification of mass murder]
The war in Iran has potentially heightened the threat. “I’m very concerned about a lone actor inspired by Iran, rather than an actual all‑out professional attack,” Frank Figliuzzi, a former assistant director of the FBI, told us. “That’s the hardest thing to detect—that lone actor who’s been inspired.” Figliuzzi said that potential attackers see the Fourth of July—and especially its 250th anniversary—as “striking at the heart of what they think America stands for.” At least one lone-wolf attack took place on July 4 in recent years—in 2022, a gunman killed seven people and injured many more in a parade shooting in Illinois.
Current and former officials also told us that they were on alert for cyberattacks on crucial infrastructure—whether from Iran or other state actors—because the Fourth of July provides an opportunity to inflict summer-travel chaos. Drones represent another area in which the risks have grown as technology has advanced. DHS has issued warnings about the potential use of drones as weapons at public events, and federal officials say they will enforce a strict no-fly zone and deploy counter-drone teams to police the skies.
The security operation surrounding the July 4 event comes just weeks after federal authorities announced that they had disrupted an alleged domestic-terror plot in Washington. At least eight people have been charged with conspiring to attack the Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House, planning to use guns and drones equipped with explosives in an attempt to kill government officials and other attendees. FBI investigators have indicated in court records that the group also discussed possible World Cup–related targets on July 3 and 4. It is unclear whether the FBI has located other individuals involved in the plot discussions, or whether they remain at large. (The FBI declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.)
The agencies responsible for securing Washington prepare and regularly practice for a range of scenarios. “The muscle memory is there, and whether it’s Fourth of July fireworks or inaugurations, or, you know, umpteen protests and events, they’ve got it down to a science,” Figliuzzi said. Other U.S. cities staging Fourth of July events—especially those hosting World Cup games—are considered softer targets for would-be attackers.
Police plan to close streets and bridges around the Mall, as well as the waterways adjacent to the event. Attendees who want to enter the secure viewing area around the Washington Monument will not be able to bring in chairs, coolers, backpacks, or metal or glass containers. Anything else will have to fit inside a clear-plastic bag or small purse, and will be subject to inspection.
[Read: The true believers at the great MAGA fair]
Fourth of July fireworks on the National Mall typically start around 9 p.m., when the sky is dark enough. But this year, Trump will occupy the prime-time slot. As Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and the other capitals of the original 13 colonies begin celebrating the 250th anniversary of their rebellion with bombs bursting in air, the president will take center stage in Washington. The White House has not said whether he’ll deliver a written speech or make the kind of semi-improvised remarks more typical of a MAGA rally. But at some point, he’s planning to show off his new Air Force One jet—given to him by the government of Qatar—with a flyover of the crowd. Trump said on Wednesday that he will use the occasion to demonstrate his stamina despite the summer heat. It’s not customary for presidents to give a speech on the Mall for July 4, but it’s in keeping with Trump’s approach of making himself the star of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration.
At some point around 10:30 or 11 p.m.—the timing depends on how long Trump speaks—the pyrotechnics are expected to begin. Freedom 250, the Trump-aligned group that has commandeered this year’s July 4 festivities, said it will shoot off 850,000 shells—nearly 50 times more than usual—from 10 locations around the city, including the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Potomac River barges, and West Potomac Park. The show is scheduled to last for 40 minutes, roughly twice as long as the typical D.C. Fourth of July celebration.
Law-enforcement officials told us that the president’s central role in the July 4 events and the extending of their length late into the evening have added complexity—and risk. As the threats facing the country have grown, the law-enforcement and intelligence agencies tasked with keeping the country safe have been dealing with a shortage of man power and expertise. Many top officials have quit or been fired since Trump returned to office, and Figliuzzi described an FBI now staffed with what he believes is “the youngest cadre of special agents in charge and assistant directors in the modern history of the FBI.” Some officials acknowledge—in private—that politically motivated purges have left the country’s law-enforcement and intelligence agencies understaffed and more prone to mistakes. (Asked about those allegations, an FBI spokesperson cited the bureau’s track record of thwarting violent plots and said that its agents are “dedicated professionals working around the clock to defend the homeland and crush violent crime. This FBI has provided the American public with results.”)
Security agencies can’t afford errors when dealing with a large-scale, high-stakes event such as July 4 in D.C. Organizers say the viewing area around the Washington Monument has a capacity for 150,000, and they expect it to be full. “Every generation gets one moment that they remember for the rest of their lives,” the Freedom 250 site says. “In 2026, generations of Americans will look up at the sky and remember the incredible sights of the 250th anniversary.”
Aside from violence, the most obvious threat to the event Saturday in D.C. will be the weather, as temperatures stay in the 90s even into the evening and a chance of thunderstorms develops as the crowds grow. The extraordinary fireworks barrage is also expected to produce an inordinate amount of smoke, so a low layer of clouds and lack of breeze could leave attendees gasping from the show—but not in the way intended.
Leave a Reply