Record-breaking heat enveloped Washington D.C. on the Fourth of July, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit during President Donald Trump's Freedom 250 rally. The extreme weather prompted pranksters Davram Stiefler and Jason Selvig, known as The Good Liars, to question attendees about climate change.
In a video documented by the duo, several Trump supporters expressed skepticism about climate change as a cause for the heatwave. One woman suggested the weather was "manipulated" and questioned climate change by referring to the continued existence of glaciers in Glacier National Park. When pressed by Stiefler that there were fewer glaciers, she reiterated her point about glaciers still being present.
Another man, embracing the record-breaking heat on his birthday, expressed no concern about climate change when questioned. "So what?" he responded when informed it was the hottest July 4th in D.C. history, before walking away.
The scorching temperatures caused disruptions, including delays at the Great American State Fair. Emergency services evaluated 51 individuals for heat-related issues around the Independence Day celebrations, with a dozen transported to hospitals, according to local officials.
Climate experts have warned that such extreme heat events could become more common during future Fourth of July celebrations. Michael Rawlins, associate director of the Climate System Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told NPR that the doubling of heat waves in the U.S. since the 1980s indicates these events are not anomalies but previews of what is to come.