05 July,2026 08:15 AM IST | Washington | Agencies
US President Donald Trump addresses a crowd in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore on Saturday on account of America’s 250th Independence anniversary. Pic/PTI
US President Donald Trump ushered in the 250th anniversary of American independence on Saturday in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore talking about American exceptionalism, before veering into a darkly political speech with warnings about a sinister threat of communism that evoked one of the country's ugliest chapters.
"Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty," he says, "It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11."
While the language was similar to several other speeches Trump has given in recent days, it was notable for being delivered in a national park that commemorates some of America's most prominent presidents. And it swerved from the typically apolitical, unifying speeches past presidents like Gerald Ford or Ronald Reagan have delivered during earlier Independence Day celebrations.
In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, delivered his own address. He did not mention Trump by his name, but parts of his speech appeared aimed at the president's divisive rhetoric.
"For generation after generation, we have been told that when the world has sent its people to our shores, it has not sent its best," Mamdani said in an apparent reference to a common criticism from Trump. "Those ideals upon which our nation was built - they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them."
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