US President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack on communism during his Independence anniversary address at Mount Rushmore, calling it the greatest threat the United States has ever faced and warning that it poses a “mortal threat to American liberty.”
Speaking as the United States entered its 250th year of Independence, Trump framed the milestone not only as a celebration of freedom but also as a defining moment to defend what he described as the nation’s founding values.
“A generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism, there is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land,” Trump said, adding that some newcomers to the country had embraced ideas “totally opposed to our way of life.”
The president argued that communism poses a greater danger than previous national crises, including the two World Wars, the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War One, World War Two, Pearl Harbor or 9/11, because communism is the enemy of free people everywhere. It is the enemy of the Constitution. Above all, it is the enemy of July 4, 1776,” he said.
Trump described communism as incompatible with America’s founding ideals of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” calling it a “Godless” ideology built on “mass theft, mass control, mass lies and mass murder.” He argued that communist governments ultimately destroy democratic institutions after coming to power.
The president also criticized what he called “Marxist lies” about American history, rejecting narratives that portray the nation’s founders and historical figures as oppressors.
“You can be loyal to Karl Marx, or you can be loyal to America. You can be a Communist, or you can be a Patriot. You cannot be both,” Trump said, accusing critics of America’s past of trying to undermine the country’s future and national character.
Vowing to protect the nation’s heritage, Trump declared that Americans would “vanquish communism from our shores” and insisted that “America will never be a Communist country.”
During the address, Trump also called for ending the Senate filibuster to allow passage of the proposed “SAVE America Act,” arguing that the move would strengthen the country’s future and help secure long-term electoral success for his political movement.
