Trump Uses Mount Rushmore Speech To Draw Sharp Line Between Communism And American Patriotism
I am continuing to follow President Trump’s America 250 remarks at Mount Rushmore, where he delivered one of his strongest statements yet against communism, Marxism, and what he described as attacks on America’s national identity.
Speaking in South Dakota ahead of Independence Day, President Trump argued that communism is not simply another political viewpoint, but an ideology fundamentally opposed to the American founding.
Trump said:
“You can be loyal to Karl Marx — or you can be loyal to AMERICA.”
He added:
“You can be a communist, or you can be a patriot. You cannot be BOTH.”
Trump also criticized those who teach that America’s history should primarily be understood through oppression, stolen land, and the condemnation of national heroes.
He said:
“As for those who peddle Marxist lies about our heritage, you tell our children that we live on stolen land or that our heroes were oppressors, they’re doing something much worse than slandering our past, they are slandering and attacking our future, not going to let that happen.”
The speech was delivered at Mount Rushmore, with the images of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln behind him. Supporters viewed the remarks as a strong defense of American history and patriotism. Multiple outlets reported that the speech focused heavily on communism, patriotism, American identity, and the meaning of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration.
My analysis:
I think this is a message many Americans need to hear plainly. A nation cannot survive if its own children are taught to hate its founding, despise its history, and view its heroes only as villains.
That does not mean America has no flaws. Every nation has flaws, and honest history should include them. But there is a major difference between teaching history honestly and teaching a generation that America itself is illegitimate.
Trump’s point was direct: communism and American constitutional liberty are not compatible. One is built on individual rights, private property, religious liberty, and self-government. The other has historically led to state control, suppression, and loss of freedom.
That is why I believe this speech matters. At the 250-year mark, America should not be apologizing for existing. It should remember what made it exceptional, correct what needs correcting, and defend the principles that made freedom possible in the first place.