India, July 6 -- President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared "one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time."

Speaking in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall, Trump honoured veterans, including several from World War II and one of the first Black officers to lead a Special Forces team in combat in Vietnam. They appeared before flags that symbolised some of the most significant and challenging moments in American history, from the one that was draped over Abraham Lincoln's casket to the one that flew on the plane piloted by the Wright Brothers.

Yet Trump also leaned...