Trump Addresses Military Strength and Domestic Threats at Mount Rushmore

He said the United States defeated Venezuela in one day and struck Iran, adding that Tehran seeks to settle the conflict. Trump noted Washington granted a week off for the state funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a strike on the first day of the war.

Trump devoted much of the address to ideological threats inside the United States. He stated a resurgence of the communist menace exists in the country, including among newcomers who embrace ideas opposed to the American way of life. He called communism the enemy of the Constitution and pledged that U.S. citizens will vanquish it quickly.

Trump described the rise of democratic socialists as the greatest threat to the country since its founding. He said a person can be a communist or a patriot but cannot be both, adding that newcomers must love the country and what it has built.

Trump said the only way for Republicans to win the midterm elections is by abolishing the filibuster and passing the SAVE America Act. The legislation would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and valid photo identification before casting ballots.

Trump closed by calling the anniversary the beginning of the golden age of America. He stated there is no American freedom without American culture and no American founding without the American people. He said Americans love freedom and cherish independence as heirs to the most beautiful land, the most thrilling story, and the most precious legacy on which the sun has ever shined.

A Supreme Court decision on birthright citizenship went against Trump a couple of days before the speech. A conservative group took control of 250th-anniversary planning from a previously bipartisan congressional commission.