President Trump made a triumphal return to Mount Rushmore to kick off the 250th birthday of the United States of America. And actually, Mount Rushmore had quite the comeback as well.

For the last six years, there has not been a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore, not since President Trump went there in 2020. But this year, it was back.

Fireworks 🤝 Mount Rushmore

A tradition returns.

Happy 250th Birthday, America. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/vc880RUXD6

— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) July 3, 2026

And so was the president. While Washington DC, and a good chunk of the East Coast is dealing with a “heat dome” of high temperatures and miserable conditions, which is leading to the unfortunate cancellations or delays of outdoor events, South Dakota only had to deal with a thunderstorm. President Trump did a flyby in Air Force One before landing.

AIR FORCE ONE buzzes Mt Rushmore – place is going nuts @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/xvvXXDgOHw

— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) July 4, 2026

The speech, which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said would run about 30 minutes, was supposed to be “inspiring” and “optimistic,” but was going to carry a very clear message.

“President Trump is set to give an inspiring, an optimistic address tonight at Mount Rushmore, where he will answer the age-old question, ‘What does it mean to be an American?’ The speech will also serve as a fierce rebuke to Communism and defend the ideas that make America the greatest country in the history of the world,” she said in a statement provided to reporters.

And in listening to the president’s speech, one comes away with two conclusions: Donald Trump loves America, and he absolutely loathes communists.

“As we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack,” Trump said in his remarks in South Dakota.

“A generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism, 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,” the president continued.

“These are not mere political disagreements, like differences over taxes or regulations. Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country,” Trump declared.

The president described the political and economic ideology as “the exact opposite of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“It’s death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil,” he said.

“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 declared.

The president vowed that America would never become a communist country.

“The Communist Party is made up of illegal immigrants, criminals, and everybody that doesn’t want to work,” Trump argued. “Communism is a loser. It always was, and it is.

“Right now, it’s a big loser. Look at the people that are promoting it.”

The president expressed pride in serving as the nation’s commander-in-chief as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday.

“Tonight, we gather on the eve of one of the most extraordinary days in the history of the world,” Trump said. “Tomorrow we mark 250 years of glorious independence and 250 years of majestic American freedom – nothing like it.”

Trump described America as “the strongest and most powerful country on earth,” as well as “by the grace of God … the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history.”

“And it is great to be your president,” he declared.

The contrast between the America that Donald Trump sees, and the America that Zohran Mamdani sees, could not be more stark. One of the best moments in Trump’s speech was his tribute to the presidents who are represented on Mount Rushmore, and their legacy to this nation.

.@POTUS: "Tonight, we come to this beautiful mountain—and it is beautiful—to express our gratitude to those who made it all possible—starting with the four men more responsible for reaching this milestone than any others.

We salute the Father of our Country, George Washington.… pic.twitter.com/MUZUzEYpFz

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 4, 2026

“Tonight, we come to this beautiful mountain—and it is beautiful—to express our gratitude to those who made it all possible—starting with the four men more responsible for reaching this milestone than any others.

We salute the Father of our Country, George Washington. The Author of our Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. The Great Emancipator and savior of our Union, Abraham Lincoln. And the man who built America into a Global Superpower, Theodore Roosevelt.

These are the men who declared our freedom, won our freedom, saved our freedom, and secured our freedom.

They were men of action, men of ambition, men of daring, men of destiny, and men of truly great intelligence. Above all, they were the great men of history.

Tonight, on the threshold of our 250th Year, we stand beneath the monument to these heroes, and we rededicate ourselves to being a nation as big, bold, noble, and as great as these American Giants…

These men could only have been Made in the USA.”

Compared to the bitter bitching and moaning that Mamdani delivered, which anyone who was paying attention knew was going to be a trainwreck the moment his speech was announced, it could not be more obvious which man actually loves this country, its history, and its people. And Trump’s warning about the creep of communism – which is really what these “Democratic Socialists” are pushing – could not be more timely.

“Communism is the enemy of free people everywhere. It is the enemy of the Constitution. Above all, it is the enemy of July 4, 1776.” https://t.co/nt1pA3qVwg

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 4, 2026

President Trump is planning on giving another speech today in Washington DC, but I’m not certain that he can top this speech’s love of country, or its cautionary message that could have come straight from the mouth of John F. Kennedy. What we are seeing sweep across the country, in the guise of creating a “big tent” for Democrats, is nothing more than a communist takeover of a political party united by hatred and bigotry. The president is right to call it out, identify it, and sound the warning. America’s future birthdays depend on it.

Featured image: President Donald Trump on June 23, 2026, Official White House Photo by Molly Riley via White House Flickr account, cropped, public domain