US President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota as part of the country's 250th founding anniversary celebrations. Trump stated that the United States is 'the most successful, most exceptional nation in human history.'
Speaking beneath the giant granite portraits of four former presidents carved into Mount Rushmore — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt — Trump said, 'In all the records of the ages, no nation has ever celebrated a victory as magnificent as this.'
Emphasizing that the US is a 250-year-old republic, Trump said, 'We are the freest people on earth. We have the most just and enduring constitution. We are the most powerful country. And by the grace of God, the United States is the most successful, most exceptional nation in human history.'
Communism warning
In his speech, Trump drew attention to what he called a 'growing communist movement' facing the country. He argued that this movement aims to undermine America's 'exceptional character' and distance the people from their history.
Describing communism as 'the enemy of free people,' Trump said, 'This is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, and even 9/11.' He added, 'Communism is the opposite of the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness; it is the pursuit of death, tyranny, and evil.'
Trump offered the audience a clear choice: 'You can be loyal to Karl Marx or you can be loyal to America. You can be a communist or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.'
Historical legacy and future emphasis
Touching on the sacrifices of the US in the past, Trump said, 'Our American ancestors did not shed their blood at Concord and Trenton, at Gettysburg and Shiloh, at Midway and Normandy, so that a handful of thieves, radicals, and lunatics could come and plunder our nation.'
Describing the four presidents on Mount Rushmore as 'men of action, ambition, courage, and destiny,' Trump said, 'We stand beneath the monument of these heroes and rededicate ourselves to being a nation as great, brave, noble, and sublime as these American giants.'
Before Trump's speech, the new Air Force One plane performed a low flyover above Mount Rushmore, drawing loud applause from the crowd. After the speech, the president watched a fireworks display over the Black Hills.
Trump is scheduled to deliver another speech on Saturday, July 4, at the National Mall in the capital Washington, D.C., and then watch a fireworks display as part of the 250th anniversary celebrations. Trump said, 'This is not an end; this is only the beginning of America's golden age.'
