President Trump Speaks at Mount Rushmore Before Fireworks Display

President Trump delivered remarks at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on Friday evening ahead of a fireworks display. The appearance opened events marking the beginning of the Fourth of July weekend and formed part of activities tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The visit marked President Trump's first return to the memorial for the holiday since 2020, when the site hosted its first official fireworks show in more than a decade.

Remarks were scheduled to begin around 9:00 p.m. ET. Fox News reported that President Trump is scheduled to return to Washington on Saturday for the Salute to America program on the National Mall. The administration has described the planned fireworks display there as the largest in history.

Temperatures in Washington are forecast to feel like 105 degrees or higher through Sunday morning under an extreme heat alert issued by D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Earlier this week, President Trump attended the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Library in Medora, North Dakota, on Wednesday and signed the Great American Outdoors Act Reauthorization, which renews funding originally enacted during his first term.