President Donald Trump traveled to Mount Rushmore on Friday to give an Independence Day speech ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. During the speech, he praised the founding principles of the United States and the enduring spirit of the American people.
Trump challenged the left-wing totalitarian impulse threatening schools, corporate board rooms, newsrooms, and the “American way of life” itself.
“There is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished,” said Trump.
“Make no mistake, this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution,” said Trump, who remarked that radicals were “determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage” to get the job done.
During the speech, Trump also offered an unapologetic defense of the presidents carved into Mount Rushmore, describing them as “American giants” whose “deeds unleashed the greatest leap in human advancement the world has ever known.”
Each of the four presidents on Mount Rushmore represents a different era of accomplishment in American history — Washington symbolizes the nation’s founding, Jefferson represents American expansion, Lincoln symbolizes preservation, and Theodore Roosevelt represents development.
Later in the speech, the president returned to his observations about American values, and the need for them to prevail.
“We want free and open debate, not speech codes and cancel culture. We embrace tolerance, not prejudice,” said Trump, also commenting that those seeking to erase our shared heritage don’t want to better America, but to end America.
“My fellow Americans, it is time to speak up loudly and strongly and powerfully, and defend the integrity of our country,” said Trump.