A messy, weather-hit July 4th event that reads as a bad-news day for attendees but a stubborn political win-at-all-costs moment for Trump.

• Trump's 250th birthday "Salute to America" on the National Mall descended into chaos as storms forced an evacuation.
• People waited up to three hours in 90-plus degree heat, got inside, then were ordered to leave as lightning and wind moved in.
• Organizers flipped tables and cleared the crowd, leaving a Fox reporter alone in a near-empty "ghost town" Mall.
• Trump refused to cancel, comparing sitting out the storm to D-Day veterans storming the beaches, and pushed his speech to 11 p.m.
• Gates were reordered to reopen at night for a rescreened crowd, with fireworks to follow rain or shine.

Outlook: The show was set to go ahead late into the night, though turnout after the evacuation looked uncertain.