As the heat surged across the country this weekend, Kylie Jane Kremer, a right-wing activist who has organized numerous rallies for President Donald Trump insisted “someone with an extreme case of [Trump Derangement Syndrome] geoengineered this weather in DC.”
While meteorologists attribute the extreme temperatures that blanketed the United States from the mountains of North Carolina to the East Coast and the Midwest to a “heat dome,” Kremer saw something different.
She claimed the weather was from human manipulation, citing incidents like hail and lightning storms at Mount Rushmore during Trump's speech the day before the big celebration. His speech on the Fourth of July was delayed by hours and sparsely attended, due to the danger from Washington D.C.'s heat.
Kremer and her allies didn't explain how scientists are able to gin up national bouts of hail or lightning storms. But her theory dovetails with other past and present MAGA supporters. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one-time Trump ally, went so far as to hold a hearing on the subject while she was in Congress. The hearing was called "Playing God with the Weather — a Disastrous Forecast.”
And Kremer's theory garnered plenty of support from MAGA allies on X, the social media platform.
"Amen. Extreme cold in January and extreme hot in July can only occur if someone is manipulating the weather," one user wrote.
I’m telling y’all that someone with an extreme case of TDS geoengineered this weather in DC.
— Kylie Jane Kremer (@KylieJaneKremer) July 3, 2026
Same way they geoengineered Trump’s inauguration to be one of the coldest in U.S. history.
People with TDS hate Trump more than they love America. https://t.co/5zcC9i7exN
"Ping pong sized hail, 50 mph winds, and ground lightening where Trump is set to speak in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore in celebration for America’s 250th Birthday! BuT iT’s NoT gEoInGeErInG!~! TDS is REAL and destroying America!" she wrote as a follow-up on X.
The extreme heat and rolling severe storms across D.C., while a natural occurrence, led to the closing of the National Mall on July 4th, and pushed back Trump's planned massive rally until hours later.
A few minutes after 9 p.m., the president posted on social media that the show would go on, even if it meant he had to speak at 2 in the morning. “Storms bring luck to whatever the occasion,” he wrote. “They also make events a little bit more exciting!”
Two hours later, he walked onstage. “I want to thank everybody, because they did the right thing,” he said. “I said, ‘There’s no way, if we have to speak in front of one person at 4 o’clock in the morning, I’m going to be there!’ There’s no way we can be deterred.”
But the 11 p.m. speech brought a much different scene than the one he originally envisioned. Many big-name acts had dropped out of a planned concert for the nation's 250th birthday, fearing it would be construed as supporting Trump. And many who left the Mall in the heat of the day at the urging of event organizers didn't return. There were large gaps in the front row, Daily Beast noted.
The president's remarks also lasted 40 minutes, which is scant by his playbook. “We have a great fireworks display tonight, and I’m going to be watching it with you,” he told the crowd who’d braved 103 degrees temperatures, high humidity, lashing rain and dangerous lightning.
Before wrapping up, he unveiled historic flags, including one that covered President Abraham Lincoln's casket, a flag presented to Theodore Roosevelt, and two of the earliest U.S. flags with 13 stars for the original states. "One was from 1777, having flown in the decisive battle at Saratoga, New York. Another was from 1781 in the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia, where the British surrendered to end the Revolutionary War," USA Today reported.
“These are the real deal,” Trump said, before settling in next to Melania to watch the fireworks at 1 a.m.
Trump himself didn't blame anyone for the weather, and others fought against the 'geoengineering' claim, with Michelle Renee writing, "The Trump administration is in charge of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Sooooo you better tweet at him and tell him to not have such DEI hires…ya know those who always say TDS….god…my ovaries just died reading this crap. How dumb are you."
