US politics live: Donald and Melania Trump celebrate America’s Independence Day

As America celebrated its Independence Day, Donald Trump also celebrated a personal victory. And Melania Trump joined in.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the United States, where it is Independence Day.

The holiday marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and for Donald Trump there’s an additional reason to celebrate this year: the signing of his tax and spending law, the “Big Beautiful Bill”, which was passed by Congress yesterday.

President Trump has now formally signed that bill during a ceremony at a makeshift desk outside the White House, where he sat and scrawled his signature, surrounded by applausing Republican members of Congress.

There was a mildly amusing moment when Speaker of the House Mike Johnson handed over the gavel he had used to signal the bill’s passage through the chamber.

“This is the gavel used to enact the Big Beautiful Bill. I want you to have that,” Mr Johnson said, as his fellow members of Congress clapped (one very audibly went “aaawwwwww”).

“Are we ready? Are we ready!?” Mr Trump said.

The President then tapped the gavel a couple of times on the desk, to more applause.

Critics have since derided the moment as symbolic of Congress ceding its authority, and prostrating itself, to the President.

Read on for the latest updates.

Originally published as US politics live: Donald and Melania Trump celebrate America’s Independence Day