Trump news: President’s ‘embarrassing mess’ parade speech widely mocked, amid arrests over July 4 fights between MAGA fans and left-wing activists

President says he may issue executive order over 2020 Census demands

Trump claims that American troops 'took over airports' during the Revolutionary War

Donald Trump delivered his controversial ”Salute to America” address in Washington, DC, on Thursday amid hammering summer storms, his speech managing to avoid partisan politics but marred by an extraordinary gaffe in which he claimed the 1775 revolutionary army “took over the airports”.

The president also promised to “plant a US flag on Mars” and encouraged young Americans to sign up for military service, despite receiving no fewer than five deferments himself preventing him from serving in the Vietnam War.

While the event featured the Air Force flypast and spectacular fireworks display Mr Trump had promised, it was also defined by an unseemly brawl breaking out between protesters and members of the alt-right militant group Proud Boys after the former set fire to the stars-and-stripes in front of the White House.

The president meanwhile saidon Friday he may issue an executive order over his 2020 Census demands. The US Constitution specifically assigns the job of overseeing the census to Congress, limiting the authority of the president over it, which could complicate an effort to add the question via presidential missive.

“We’re working on a lot of things including an executive order,” Mr Trump told reporters outside the White House as he left for his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.

In a court filing in response to a Maryland-based federal judge’s deadline, the Department of Justice indicated it has not yet come up with a new legal rationale for adding the question after being blocked in the Supreme Court on 27 June.

US District Judge George Hazel said on Wednesday that if the administration did not reach a decision he would press ahead with considering allegations based on newly discovered evidence that the decision to add the question was motivated by racial bias.

The Justice Department said in its court filing it objects to the case moving forward.

Critics have called the citizenship question a Republican ploy to scare immigrants into not participating and engineer a population undercount in Democratic-leaning areas with high immigrant populations. They say that officials lied about their motivations for adding the question and that the move would help Trump’s fellow Republicans gain seats in the US House of Representatives and state legislatures when new electoral district boundaries are drawn.

Mr Trump on Friday said the “number one” reason for adding the question was for the drawing of electoral districts, which is not the legal reason the administration gave for adding it.

He and his supporters say it makes sense to know how many non-citizens are living in the country. His hard-line policies on immigration have punctuated his presidency and 2020 re-election campaign.

Additional reporting by Reuters. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

Key Points

• Trump delivers 'Salute to America' in hammering rain
• Speech hit by embarrassing historical gaffes
• Promises American flag on Mars, encourages military sign-ups
• Protesters and Proud Boys brawl over flag burning

[5 July 2019 17:20 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump has tweeted a message to his supporters celebrating the latest jobs report - 

[5 July 2019 17:40 · Chris Riotta]

The president's helicopter has departed for his trip to New Jersey -

[5 July 2019 18:00 · Chris Riotta]

Trump also hinted a new plan would soon be announced surrounding prescription drug pricing before departing from the White House earlier today -

[5 July 2019 18:20 · Chris Riotta]

A billionaire coal executive and Donald Trump donor died in a helicopter crash along with six others yesterday -

[5 July 2019 18:40 · Chris Riotta]

Donald Trump said he believes world leaders like his daughter Ivanka while defending his move to bring her to the G20 Summit last week - 

[5 July 2019 19:00 · Chris Riotta]

Joe Biden unleashed on Donald Trump during a sit-down interview with CNN, attacking the president over his policies while comparing him to a “bully” who made fun of him as a child.

The former vice president and 2020 frontrunner made the comments during a wide-ranging interview with the network’s Chris Cuomo when discussing how he plans to defeat Mr Trump if he were to secure the Democratic nomination.

“I beat him by just pointing out who I am and who he is and what we’re for and what he’s against,” Mr Biden said. “This guy is a divider-in-chief, this guy is acting with racist policies, this guy is moving to ferment hate, to split, that’s the only way he can be successful.”

Story to come...

[5 July 2019 19:20 · Chris Riotta]

Here's my story on Joe Biden's sit-down interview with CNN, and the fighting words he had for Donald Trump.

[5 July 2019 19:40 · Chris Riotta]

Here's VIctoria Gagliardo-Silver on Joe Biden's comments from this morning about having a female president - or vice president:

[5 July 2019 20:09 · Chris Riotta]

A wooden statue of Melania Trump has reportedly been erected in the first lady’s home country of Slovenia, despite criticism from locals. 

The conceptual statue — which depicts Ms Trump standing in the blue outfit she wore to her husband’s inauguration in 2016 — was commissioned by US artist Brade Downey and created by artist Ales Zupevc, known as Maxi, according to ITV.

The life-sized statue is planted atop a wooden plank with shrubbery in a field near her hometown of Sevnica in photos unveiled this week.

Story to come...

[5 July 2019 20:47 · Chris Riotta]

The Trump administration is still considering how to proceed in its effort to add a contentious citizenship question to the 2020 census, according to court papers filed on Friday.

Donald Trump earlier said he may issue an executive order. The U.S. Constitution specifically assigns the job of overseeing the census to Congress, limiting the authority of the president over it, which could complicate an effort to add the question via presidential missive.

“We’re working on a lot of things including an executive order,” the president told reporters outside the White House as he left for his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Reuters