Hundreds of masked racist extremists march in D.C. as Trump’s Freedom 250 celebration unfolds

A large group of masked members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front marched through Washington, D.C. , on July Fourth, carrying Confederate flags and upside-down American flags as President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 celebration of America’s 250th birthday unfolded in the nation’s capital.

Photographers documented members of Patriot Front at the Eastern Market Metro station and on public transit, leaving riders unsettled on Saturday as Washington marked the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The White House said its Freedom 250 effort included a July 4 “Salute to America Celebration & Fireworks” on the National Mall, with Trump scheduled to deliver remarks as part of the day’s programming.

Members of the racist Patriot Front extremist group are seen riding the Washington, D.C., metro on July 4, 2026. Fin Gomez via Getty Images

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WTOP reporter Mitchell Miller posted video on X of what he described as “a group of masked men gathered at Union Station,” saying they carried Confederate flags and called for “reclaiming the country and getting rid of immigrants.” Other videos showed the group moving through Capitol Hill neighborhoods.

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The George Washington University Program on Extremism describes Patriot Front as a white nationalist organization founded in 2017 after the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia . The group promotes “an ultra-nationalist ideology centered on the idea of creating a white ethnostate in the United States,” according to GWU.

The Anti-Defamation League identifies Patriot Front as a white supremacist group that splintered from Vanguard America after Charlottesville and says the group uses patriotic imagery to package white supremacist ideology.