Trump praises army, rails against communism in US 250th anniversary speech

Speaking at Mount Rushmore during the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations, President Donald Trump delivered a speech that lauded the U.S. military and issued a stark warning against what he termed a "communist menace."

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We created the strongest and most powerful military. We won two world wars.

Trump, addressing the crowd on the eve of Independence Day, invoked themes of national identity and ideology, framing his remarks within the context of the upcoming November midterm elections. He asserted the United States possesses the "strongest and most powerful military" and recalled victories in World War II, stating that the Cold War had relegated America's adversaries "to the depths of history."

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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.

A significant portion of his address focused on perceived internal ideological threats. "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," Trump declared, labeling communism as "the enemy of the Constitution." He pledged that American citizens would "vanquish communism quickly."

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the citizens of the United States of America will vanquish communism quickly.

The president explicitly tied his anti-communist rhetoric to a stringent immigration policy, suggesting that left-wing political figures and certain undocumented immigrants should be removed from the country. He characterized the rise of democratic socialists as the "greatest threat to our country since its founding," drawing parallels to the potential impact of World War II and the September 11 attacks. Trump concluded his speech by proclaiming the anniversary as "the beginning of the golden age of America."

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the greatest threat to our country since its founding