Trump warns of communist menace at Mount Rushmore

President Donald Trump opened the July Fourth 250th anniversary weekend at Mount Rushmore with a half-hour speech that blended praise for American independence with a sharp warning about what he called a renewed “communist menace” in the United States.

Speaking Friday night beneath the illuminated granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, Trump said American identity and history were under attack by “radicals” and “extremists.” He framed communism as incompatible with patriotism and American citizenship.

“There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success,” Trump told the crowd in South Dakota. “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 did not name specific political figures in the speech. NBC News reported that in recent days he has described democratic socialists who won primary races in New York as leftists seeking to destroy American traditions. The Guardian reported that four progressive candidates, including three democratic socialists, won Democratic primaries in New York last week and in Colorado on Tuesday, with progressive candidates also winning contests in Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The president described communism as “a mortal threat to American liberty,” “the enemy of the Constitution” and “the enemy of July 4th, 1776.” He said it was the “exact opposite of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” adding: “It’s death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil.”

Trump tied the message to immigration, saying people did not have to be born in the United States but “do have to love what we have built.” He also said, “You must love our country.” At another point, he pledged that Americans would “vanquish communism quickly” and said, “America will never be a communist country.”

The event included patriotic staging. Actors portraying Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln delivered famous quotations before the speech, and country artist Chancey Williams performed, The Guardian reported. NBC News reported that hail and rain interrupted the pre-program and sent guests looking for shelter, but the weather cleared before Trump arrived. Air Force One flew behind the monument before his appearance, and a fireworks display followed his remarks. Thousands of attendees had won a lottery to attend.

Trump praised the four presidents carved into the mountain as “men of action, men of ambition, men of daring, men of destiny, and men of truly great intelligence.” He said Americans came to the site “to express our gratitude to those who made it possible.”

The president also used the speech to press Republicans’ election agenda ahead of the midterms. He urged Congress to end the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act, which CBS News reported would require Americans to prove U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and show valid photo identification before casting ballots. “We do that, we’re not going to lose an election for a hundred years,” Trump said, according to The Guardian.

“As we march into our 250th year, incredible, beautiful year it will be, we must never forget: There is no American freedom without American culture, and there is no American founding without the American people,” Trump said.

Trump did not mention adding his own face to Mount Rushmore during the speech. NBC News reported that he has previously entertained the idea, while officials and geologists have said the mountain lacks enough suitable rock for another face. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., introduced a bill last year calling for Trump’s likeness to be carved there, but it did not advance out of committee.