US President Donald Trump turned America’s 250th Independence anniversary address into a sweeping warning against Communism, telling supporters at Mount Rushmore that the ideology posed a “mortal threat” to American liberty.
Speaking in South Dakota on the eve of July 4 celebrations, Trump framed the anniversary not only as a national milestone but as a moment to defend American identity, history and culture. He also called for ending the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, linking the issue directly to the coming midterm elections.
Trump says Communism is ‘enemy of July 4th, 1776’
Trump said the United States was facing a renewed ideological challenge decades after the Cold War.
“Communism is a mortal threat to American Liberty. It is the Greatest Threat to our Country including World War One, World War Two, Pearl Harbor, or 9/11,” Trump said.
He added, “Because Communism is the enemy of Free People everywhere. It is the enemy of the Constitution. Above all, it is the Enemy of July 4th, 1776.”
The President said the issue was not a routine political disagreement over taxes or regulation. He described it as a direct challenge to the American way of life.
“These are not mere political disagreements, like differences over taxes or regulations,” he said.
Trump claimed that Communist ideas had resurfaced in the US, including among “newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life.”
Watch President Donald J. Trump’s Full Speech on American Exceptionalism at Mount Rushmore on the eve of America’s 250th: pic.twitter.com/vDmDFHQ3nj
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 4, 2026
‘You can be a Communist, or you can be a Patriot’
The President also attacked what he called “Marxist lies” about American heritage.
“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,” Trump said.
He accused critics of America’s founding story of attacking the country’s future.
“As for those who would peddle Marxist lies about our heritage—who tell our children that we live on stolen land, or that our heroes were oppressors—they are doing something much worse than slandering our past. They are attacking our future,” he said.
Trump said such views were an attempt to “tear down the American Character” and destroy the people who “declared Independence, crossed the Delaware, settled the West, and conquered the skies.”
He ended that section with a blunt pledge: “America will never be a Communist country.”
President Donald J. Trump’s Historic Address at Mount Rushmore: Full Remarks on the Eve of America’s 250th Anniversary
Distinguished guests and fellow citizens, tonight, we gather on the eve of one of the most extraordinary days in the history of the world. Tomorrow, we mark 250…
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 4, 2026
Trump links filibuster fight to midterms
Trump also urged lawmakers to end the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act.
“We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms—if we are foolish, stupid, and unwise,” he said.
“But if we terminate the filibuster as we should do, and immediately vote for the SAVE America Act, then we will not lose an election for 100 years,” Trump added.
President praises America as ‘most exceptional nation’
While much of the speech focused on Communism and American identity, Trump also used the Mount Rushmore backdrop to celebrate the country’s 250-year journey.
“At 250 Years, America is the oldest Republic on earth. We are the freest people on earth. We have the most righteous and enduring Constitution on earth. We are the strongest and most powerful country on earth,” Trump said.
He described the United States as “the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history.”
Trump said America’s story was built on “liberty, justice, equality, self-government, and unmatched prosperity.”
“What we have created in this country is not the natural way of the world. It is not the norm. It is the exception. It is rare, it is priceless, and it is truly miraculous,” he said.
Mount Rushmore setting shapes address
Trump used the Mount Rushmore setting to invoke George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
“These are the men who declared the freedom, won our freedom, saved our freedom, and secured our freedom,” he said.
He described them as “men of action, men of ambition, men of daring, men of destiny.”
Trump said their faces were carved into the mountain not only because of what they did, but because they represented the American character.
“The identity of a nation is the destiny of a nation,” he said.
July 4 proclamation issued
Earlier in the day, Trump proclaimed July 4, 2026, as the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
“I urge all Americans to proudly observe this day with all due ceremony to honour the glorious heritage, history, and accomplishments of our beloved Republic,” the proclamation said.
Trump also signed pardons for six people who were prosecuted under the Biden administration before leaving for South Dakota, according to ANI.