Atlanta, USA (CNN) – US President Donald Trump on Sunday displayed what he said was one of the earliest existing American flags, while praising American principles in his speech marking the Fourth of July celebrations.

Trump said: 'This flag dates back to 1777, and it carries 13 stars and 13 stripes for the 13 states that declared independence on the Fourth of July.'

The president noted that these flags 'have seen a lot,' and proudly reflected 'the stars and stripes that waved victoriously' during the Battle of Yorktown.

Trump added: 'Here, on the National Mall, we celebrate the triumph of freedom over tyranny, the victory of liberty over oppression, and the enduring triumph of the American spirit, stretching from July 4, 1776 to July 4, 2026.'

President Donald Trump expressed his disdain for communism several times in his Fourth of July speech.

Trump said: 'Communism is the loser, and it will always be so. The communist system is the opposite of the American system, and the communist system has never succeeded. Our soldiers did not fight communism on battlefields around the world for this threat to raise its ugly head here in America.'

His remarks come as part of a series of public attacks on the communist ideology, following victories by democratic socialists in Democratic primary elections in various parts of the country.

Trump did not explicitly refer to democratic socialism, though he said that 'America will never be a communist country.'

There are clear differences between democratic socialism and communism, which envisions a society without government and social classes, where resources are distributed equally.

Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he would deliver his scheduled speech on the 250th anniversary of US independence, despite warnings of a severe thunderstorm in Washington, DC.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: 'Storms bring luck to any occasion, and make events more exciting! We'll wait until it's over, I don't care if it's two in the morning or an hour later.'