US President Donald Trump marked the 250th anniversary of US independence on July 4, 2026, with a speech at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, where he praised the nation's founders and called on Americans to protect their freedoms.

Speaking beneath the carved heads of four American presidents, Trump said, "We stand beneath the monument of these heroes, a true group of unbelievable people, and we rededicate ourselves to being a nation as big, bold, noble, and as great as these American giants, and that's not easy to do, but we're going to do it."

Trump warned of a "resurgence of the communist menace in our land," attributing this threat to progressive Democrats and "newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success." He linked his anti-communist rhetoric to an anti-immigrant theme, stating at one point that "the newcomers need to be expelled."

His language evoked the Red Scare of the 1950s, a period when alleged communists were persecuted and blacklisted across America. The speech came amid ongoing economic challenges such as inflation and high gas prices, as well as political concerns ahead of the November midterm elections.

Trump's remarks reflect his continued focus on combating what he describes as a communist threat within the United States, tying it to recent gains by left-wing Democratic candidates and broader cultural and political debates.

Sources