President Trump accuses his opponents of wanting to 'end America' and vows to protect statues and monuments.
President Trump used an elaborate fireworks display and Air Force One flyover at Mt. Rushmore on Friday night to rally his base, ushering in Fourth of July celebrations a day early with accusations that a “new far-left fascism” is part of “a merciless campaign to wipe out our history.”
“Make no mistake,” Trump told several thousand people, packed tightly into the amphitheater near the monument, mostly without masks, chanting “USA” as they cheered him on, “this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution.”The goal of the opposition, he said, “is not a better America. Their goal is to end America.”
Trump repeatedly promised to defend historical monuments and statues, but avoided any mention of the statues that have been the focus of the most debate — those of Confederate leaders, which he has called for preserving, even as cities and states take steps to remove them.Whether Trump’s denunciations of “cancel culture” and his vows to protect American statues and monuments will connect with a wider group of voters is questionable.
The speech at Mt. Rushmore was heavy on all of those themes, promising to crack down on protesters and echoing many of his campaign addresses with an affirmation of gun rights, a call against abortions and appeals to God and the flag.Trump’s focus on the culture wars has baffled even some strategists in his own party.
In leveling the veto threat over Twitter, he used one of his favorite slurs, “Pocahontas,” to refer to the provision’s Democratic sponsor, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.The location of Trump’s speech added to his defiant message. Federal officials stopped holding Fourth of July fireworks at Mt. Rushmore 11 years ago out of concern for the fragile environment and the risk of wildfires in the Black Hills.
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