Donald Trump, the 45th & 47th President of the United States of America invited the ICFA President & great, great grandson of Buffalo Bill, William “Kevin” Cody, and his sister & Cody Kids Corner author, Kellie Cody Edwards to our nation’s Capital in Washington, D.C. for the Freedom 250 “Salute to America” event to celebrate Independence Day.
On July 4th, 2026, at 7 pm, the event was packed to capacity with roughly 425,000 people eagerly awaiting the start of the show. Unfortunately, due to a severe thunderstorm, the area had to be evacuated. Attendees took temporary shelter in nearby federal buildings, museums, restaurants, and bars.
The storm created a quandary of chaos and confusion with event crew, performers, and special guests including Kevin, Kellie, and their mother, Linda, scattered throughout the city, not knowing what to do, where to go, or if the show will be cancelled entirely.
President Trump was adamantly determined to move forward no matter how long it took to resume. He had the production team scrambling on their toes to reconnect with everyone so we could regroup and patiently wait at various locations depending on our roles. All the descendants and veterans who were to be honored huddled at the lobby & bar of the Willard Hotel.
After a long wait, the storm had finally passed and the gates luckily reopened. The event resumed at 11 pm, however, the 4-hour postponement forced most of the scheduled musical guests and performances to be cancelled with President Trump not taking the stage until 11:30 pm.
Despite all the setbacks, the event staff and security did an amazing job in reconvening and putting on a spectacular and momentous show. The program concluded shortly after 12:30 am with a world record-setting display of 860,000 fireworks to commemorate our country’s semiquincentennial anniversary.
Of course, the highlight of the event was when President Trump introduced Kevin and Kellie to the stage with these words: “American grit, boldness and daring forged heroes like Davy Crockett, Wyatt Earp, Annie Oakley, Teddy Roosevelt, and the legend of the Wild West, Buffalo Bill Cody. These were great, powerful people whose incredible grandchildren happened to be with us tonight. And they stand alongside one of the first American flags ever to fly over our expanding nation. It was carried west just as Lewis and Clark began their journey in 1803. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Great to have you. Great to have you to honor this audacious and indomitable soul of America”.
The sibling descendants were very honored to share the stage with President Trump and to have their beloved, great, great grandfather recognized for his historical achievements and contributions to America. This was an opportunity of a lifetime and a surreal experience that they will treasure and remember forever.
Although they enjoyed their short time in the spotlight on stage, and the VIP treatment they received, their most memorable moment was the time they got to spend with the President and his family backstage.
The live broadcast event was distributed nationwide to hundreds of local affiliate stations, major cable news channels including FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, C-SPAN, MS NOW, RSBN, & NewsNation, along with streaming networks through several massive multiplatform broadcasting partnerships. The event was also broadcast internationally through a combination of global news syndicate networks, international cable platforms, and free digital livestreams including translated simulcasts spanning across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Early estimations indicate that the event had between 15 to 20 million viewers worldwide.