President Donald Trump marked America’s 250th Independence Day on the eve of July 4th with a speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota that warned of communism as the nation’s greatest threat, departing sharply from the apolitical tradition past presidents have observed during the holiday.
Speaking for roughly 28 minutes, Trump declared: “Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11.” He added that there is “a resurgence of the communist menace in our land,” according to reporting from Reuters, NPR, and CNBC.
The speech opened with soaring rhetoric about American exceptionalism and the nation’s founders before pivoting to a darkly political address that evoked the Red Scare of the 1950s, when alleged communists were persecuted and blacklisted across America. Trump tied his anti-communist warnings to immigration, saying “newcomers to our country” embrace communist ideology and must be expelled, Reuters reported.
Trump’s remarks swerved from the typically apolitical, unifying speeches past presidents like Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan have delivered during high-profile Independence Day celebrations. “It swerved from the typically apolitical, unifying speeches past presidents have given to mark Independence Day,” NPR noted. The break from tradition was stark: the Mount Rushmore national monument commemorates four American presidents, making the venue itself a symbol of shared national heritage.
The president’s communism warnings appear tied to recent Democratic primary victories by progressive and democratic socialist candidates. Four progressive candidates, including three democratic socialists, won competitive Democratic primaries in New York City last week and Colorado on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Trump has previously called these victories “the greatest threat to our country since its founding.” During the Mount Rushmore speech, he declared: “We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms.”
The speech capped an Independence Day eve marked by a brutal heat wave gripping much of the eastern United States. Philadelphia canceled its Salute to Independence parade, and The Great American State Fair in Washington temporarily shut down in the early afternoon. Trump is scheduled to deliver a second speech on the National Mall in Washington on July 4th before a historically massive fireworks display.
Sources
- NPR — Trump’s full speech text and context; comparison to past presidents’ apolitical Independence Day speeches
- Reuters — Trump’s direct quotes on communism threat; details on progressive primary victories; anti-immigrant framing
- CNBC — Speech details; Red Scare evocation; heat wave impact on celebrations
- Fox News — Speech length (28 minutes); fireworks display details
- South Dakota Searchlight — “Resurgence of the communist menace” quote and context
