On this historic date, June 30, 1996, as America prepared for its Independence Day celebrations, a cataclysmic alien invasion of Earth commenced. A colossal mothership entered orbit around the planet, releasing alien spacecraft that targeted major urban centers such as New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C., leading to catastrophic destruction and the loss of millions of lives. It was only through the heroic efforts of a diverse coalition of survivors, including the President of the United States, Thomas Whitmore, technician David Levinson, U.S. Marine Captain Steven Hiller, and the late former Air Force pilot Russell Casse, among others, that humanity ultimately triumphed. This thrilling narrative unfolds in the blockbuster movie Independence Day, directed by Roland Emmerich. Interestingly, an account on X (previously known as Twitter), called ID4 in Real Time, is creatively reimagining how these events would have been shared on social media, and surprisingly, some users are taking it seriously.

Since its inception in 2019, ID4 in Real Time has been delighting fans with annual live-tweeting events that celebrate the iconic summer blockbuster while coinciding with the 4th of July holiday. Their tweets begin with a countdown to the invasion, discussing the failed efforts to pass President Whitmore’s (Bill Pullman) significant crime bill, alongside other contemporary events leading up to the alien onslaught. The account cleverly intertwines current events, humorously referring to Whitmore’s legislation as the “Large Lustrous Legislation,” in a nod to the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” They also jokingly mention being mistakenly tagged on the “experimental group communication tool Signal” by Al Nimziki (James Rebhorn), satirizing a notable blunder made by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz involving The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg. Ultimately, this playful narrative culminates in Russell’s courageous sacrifice, leading to Earth’s — specifically America’s — fierce retaliation against the alien forces, celebrated by jubilant cheers from the survivors.

While most of these tweets are readily identifiable as part of a comedic bit, enriching the narrative of this defining sci-fi disaster film from an inventive perspective, some messages have caught users off guard when presented out of context. For instance, an official-sounding tweet claiming that anonymous sources within the White House had concrete evidence of extraterrestrial invaders has perplexed many, as has the use of real developments from the European Space Agency to substantiate claims from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute. These instances have surprisingly elicited numerous reactions from users who did not immediately recognize the satirical nature of these messages.

Explore Hilarious Reactions to the Annual ‘Independence Day’ Live Tweeting

The ID4 in Real Time account has been enjoying the playful interaction with users seeking “evidence” of an alien invasion, only to discover nothing official exists. When one curious individual requested a source after searching for verified reports of UFOs entering Earth’s atmosphere, the account humorously directed them to the perfect resource — the IMDb page dedicated to the film, which offers a wealth of information about the historic cinematic event.

In another amusing exchange, a user turned to the built-in AI feature of X, known as Grok, for assistance. Unfortunately, Grok’s track record isn’t exactly stellar, and it had no knowledge of any invasion occurring. Although the original AI post is no longer available, the user @1996ID4 ridiculed it for suggesting that these were not genuine, serious, and credible threats to the entire human race.

Generally, users are reveling in the nostalgia of reliving the initial hours of the alien invasion, as the enormous UFOs take positions over prominent U.S. cities, placing humanity in a figurative “checkmate.” There have been countless humorous references to deploying nuclear weapons “immediately and often,” as well as discussions regarding President Whitmore’s ability to handle a crisis of this magnitude. One user even expressed being momentarily fooled by several of the tweets before finally realizing that with all the movie’s officials referenced and the jokes made, this was indeed an Independence Day themed event.

Discover How to Watch ‘Independence Day’ This Week

If reliving the thrilling and destructive events of Independence Day through live tweets isn’t quite enough for you, there are several streaming options available. Tubi is currently offering the film for free to its users, while subscribers of Disney+ and Hulu can also directly access Emmerich’s classic through their platforms. Unsurprisingly, this iconic film has been trending on streaming services leading up to the holiday weekend. No matter how you choose to watch, you will have no trouble enjoying this legendary film this 4th of July, experiencing the excitement of witnessing the White House being decimated, with a star-studded cast including Bill Pullman, James Rebhorn, Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, Randy Quaid, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Robert Loggia, Vivica A. Fox, and Harvey Fierstein uniting in the fight for humanity’s survival.