An astonishing image has emerged from the US celebrations of the 250th anniversary of its independence at the weekend.

The picture, which is being hailed as a “defining” image of America in 2026, shows a young black woman sitting on a suburban train in Washington DC.

She is surrounded by masked members of white supremacist group the Patriot Front.

“I feel like the photo of this black woman surrounded by dozens of masked, anonymous, white nationalists is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time,” Campaign for New York Health executive director Melanie D’Arrigo said.

The photo was taken on Saturday (US time) by Reuters photographer Cheney Orr.

The woman hasn’t been identified, and it’s not clear if she interacted in any way with the Patriot Front members.

The group also paraded upside-down American flags, and others carried American Civil War-era flags, as hundreds marched through Washington at the weekend. They wore masks, sunglasses and hats to hide their faces.

Some were seen in videos chanting slogans such as, “Life, liberty, victory!” and “Reclaim America!”.

A top Trump administration official shrugged off the parade as an example of “messy” democracy that fell under the banner of constitutionally protected free speech.

“Certainly what they stand for is nothing that I could possibly agree with. But one of the foundational principles of the United States, which makes democracy messy, is free speech,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told CNN’s State of the Union show.

Trump dials up patriotism

US President Donald Trump ‌marked the anniversary with a campaign-style speech that repeated his calls for new voting restrictions, warned that “communists” could gain ground in the country and cycled through what he touted ‌as his achievements.

After a storm-related delay of nearly two hours, Trump appeared on the National Mall in Washington late on Saturday to deliver a speech that mixed broad appeals to patriotism with pointed attacks on perceived ideological threats at home and ‌abroad.

During the “Salute to America” event, Trump lauded American achievements such as war victories, the lunar landing and the Wright brothers’ pioneering flight, as well as the US system of government in general.

But he also urged Congress to pass stalled the SAVE America Act, legislation that would limit mail ballots and require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Trump also leaned into partisan territory unusual for an Independence Day address, which presidents typically use to unify the country.

He highlighted his support for the Second Amendment and revived denunciations of communism, which are becoming an increasingly central part of Trump’s message ahead of the November mid-terms.

“We like to stop a threat like that immediately and before it begins. It’s like a cancer – you’ve got to cut it out and you got to cut it out fast,” he said.

The speech capped a holiday that Trump has gone to great lengths to shape to his own tastes.

The event organisers were largely aligned with the White House, supplanting a bipartisan organisation.

“We will always be on top,” Trump said.

“We will never let our country fall. We will always be the best.”

Trump didn’t talk about himself as much as he usually does in rally speeches. Still, he still found time to include a joke about seeking a third presidential term and about World War II’s “greatest generation”.

“They are the greatest generation,” Trump said. “I hate to admit that, but they are.”

Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as one time colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own.

Organisers of celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.

Severe weather prompted the cancellation of celebrations in Hartford, Connecticut, along with Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Spectators at Boston’s fireworks and concert were told to briefly seek shelter before events later resumed. An evacuation was also ordered in Philadelphia. New York and Pittsburgh moved forward with fireworks but shifted the time to accommodate the shifting weather.

The disruption was particularly acute in Washington, where crowds were building at the National Mall several hours before the evacuation.

-with AAP